The Pirates Own Book (27 page)

At twelve o'clock at night, all hands were called, those assigned to
take part in the expedition were mustered, when Lieut. Shubrick, the
commander of the detachment, gave them special orders; when they entered
the boats and proceeded to the shore, where they effected a landing near
the dawn of day, amid a heavy surf, about a mile and a half to the north
of the town, undiscovered by the enemy, and without any serious accident
having befallen them, though several of the party were thoroughly
drenched by the beating of the surf, and some of their ammunition was
injured.

The troops then formed and took up their line of march against the
enemy, over a beach of deep and heavy sand. They had not proceeded far
before they were discovered by a native at a distance, who ran at full
speed to give the alarm. A rapid march soon brought them up with the
first fort, when a division of men, under the command of Lieut. Hoff,
was detached from the main body, and ordered to surround it. The first
fort was found difficult of access, in consequence of a deep hedge of
thorn-bushes and brambles with which it was environed. The assault was
commenced by the pioneers, with their crows and axes, breaking down the
gates and forcing a passage. This was attended with some difficulty, and
gave the enemy time for preparation. They raised their warwhoop, and
resisted most manfully, fighting with spears, sabres, and muskets. They
had also a few brass pieces in the fort, but they managed them with so
little skill as to produce no effect, for the balls uniformly whizzed
over the heads of our men. The resistance of the Malays was in vain, the
fort was stormed, and soon carried; not, however, till almost every
individual in it was slain. Po Mahomet, a chief of much distinction, and
who was one of the principal persons concerned in the outrage on the
Friendship was here slain; the mother of Chadoolah, another rajah, was
also slain here; another woman fell at this port, but her rank was not
ascertained; she fought with the spirit of a desperado. A seaman had
just scaled one of the ramparts, when he was severely wounded by a blow
received from a weapon in her hands, but her life paid the forfeit of
her daring, for she was immediately transfixed by a bayonet in the hands
of the person whom she had so severely injured. His head was wounded by
a javelin, his thumb nearly cut off by a sabre, and a ball was shot
through his hat.

Lieutenants Edson and Ferret proceeded to the rear of the town, and made
a bold attack upon that fort, which, after a spirited resistance on the
part of the Malays, surrendered. Both officers and marines here narrowly
escaped with their lives. One of the natives in the fort had trained his
piece in such a manner as to rake their whole body, when he was shot
down by a marine while in the very act of applying a match to it. The
cannon was afterwards found to have been filled with bullets. This fort,
like the former, was environed with thick jungle, and great difficulty
had been experienced in entering it. The engagement had now become
general, and the alarm universal. Men, women and children were seen
flying in every direction, carrying the few articles they were able to
seize in the moments of peril, and some of the men were cut down in the
flight. Several of the enemy's proas, filled with people, were severely
raked by a brisk fire from the six pounder, as they were sailing up the
river to the south of the town, and numbers of the natives were killed.
The third and most formidable fort was now attacked, and it proved the
most formidable, and the co-operation of the several divisions was
required for its reduction; but so spirited was the fire poured into it
that it was soon obliged to yield, and the next moment the American
colors were seen triumphantly waving over its battlements. The greater
part of the town was reduced to ashes. The bazaar, the principal place
of merchandize, and most of the private dwellings were consumed by fire.
The triumph had now been completed over the Malays; ample satisfaction
had been taken for their outrages committed upon our own countrymen, and
the bugle sounded the return of the ship's forces; and the embarkation
was soon after effected. The action had continued about two hours and a
half, and was gallantly sustained both by officers and men, from its
commencement to its close. The loss on the part of the Malays was near a
hundred killed, while of the Americans only two lost their lives. Among
the spoils were a Chinese gong, a Koran, taken at Mahomet's fort, and
several pieces of rich gold cloth. Many of the men came off richly laden
with spoils which they had taken from the enemy, such as rajah's scarfs,
gold and silver chunam boxes, chains, ear rings and finger rings,
anklets and bracelets, and a variety of shawls, krisses richly hilted
and with gold scabbards, and a variety of other ornaments. Money to a
considerable amount was brought off. That nothing should be left undone
to have an indelible impression on the minds of these people, of the
power of the United States to inflict punishment for aggressions
committed on her commerce, in seas however distant, the ship was got
underway the following morning, and brought to, with a spring on her
cable, within less than a mile of the shore, when the larboard side was
brought to bear nearly upon the site of the town. The object of the
Commodore, in this movement, was not to open an indiscriminate or
destructive fire upon the town and inhabitants of Quallah Battoo, but to
show them the irresistible power of thirty-two pound shot, and to reduce
the fort of Tuca de Lama, which could not be reached on account of the
jungle and stream of water, on the morning before, and from which a fire
had been opened and continued during the embarkation of the troops on
their return to the ship. The fort was very soon deserted, while the
shot was cutting it to pieces, and tearing up whole cocoa-trees by the
roots. In the afternoon a boat came off from the shore, bearing a flag
of truce to the Commodore, beseeching him, in all the practised forms of
submission of the east, that he would grant them peace, and cease to
fire his big guns. Hostilities now ceased, and the Commodore informed
them that the objects of his government in sending him to their shores
had now been consummated in the punishment of the guilty, who had
committed their piracies on the Friendship. Thus ended the intercourse
with Quallah Battoo. The Potomac proceeded from this place to China, and
from thence to the Pacific Ocean; after looking to the interests of the
American commerce in those parts she arrived at Boston in 1834, after a
three years' absence.

Captain Condent was a Plymouth man born, but we are as yet ignorant of
the motives and time of his first turning pirate. He was one of those
who thought fit to retire from Providence, on Governor Rogers' arrival
at that island, in a sloop belonging to Mr. Simpson, of New York, a Jew
merchant, of which sloop he was then quarter-master. Soon after they
left the island, an accident happened on board, which put the whole crew
into consternation. They had among them an Indian man, whom some of them
had beaten; in revenge, he got most of the arms forward into the hold,
and designed to blow up the sloop; upon which, some advised scuttling
the deck, and throwing grenade shells down, but Condent said that was
too tedious and dangerous, since the fellow might fire through the deck
and kill several of them. He, therefore, taking a pistol in one hand,
and his cutlass in the other, leaped into the hold. The Indian
discharged a piece at him, which broke his arm; but, however, he ran up
and shot the Indian. When he was dead, the crew hacked him to pieces,
and the gunner, ripping up his belly and tearing out his heart, broiled
and eat it.

After this, they took a merchantman called the Duke of York; and some
disputes arising among the pirates, the captain, and one half of the
company, went on board the prize; the other half, who continued in the
sloop, chose Condent captain. He shaped his course for the Cape-de Verd
Islands, and in his way took a merchant ship from Madeira, laden with
wine, and bound for the West Indies, which he plundered and let go;
then coming to the Isle of May, one of the said islands, he took the
whole salt fleet, consisting of about 20 sail. Wanting a boom, he took
out the mainmast of one of these ships to supply the want. Here he took
upon himself the administration of justice, inquiring into the manner of
the commanders' behaviour to their men, and those against whom complaint
was made, he whipped and pickled. He took what provision and other
necessaries he wanted, and having augmented his company by volunteers
and forced men, he left the ships and sailed to St. Jago, where he took
a Dutch ship, which had formerly been a privateer. This proved also an
easy prize, for he fired but one broadside, and clapping her on board,
carried her without resistance, for the captain and several men were
killed, and some wounded by his great shot.

The ship proving for his purpose, he gave her the name of the Flying
Dragon, went on board with his crew, and made a present of his sloop to
a mate of an English prize, whom he had forced with him. From hence he
stood away for the coast of Brazil, and in his cruize took several
Portuguese ships, which he plundered and let go.

After these he fell in with the Wright galley, Capt. John Spelt,
commander, hired by the South Sea company, to go to the coast of Angola
for slaves, and thence to Buenos Ayres. This ship he detained a
considerable time, and the captain being his townsman, treated him very
civilly. A few days after he took Spelt, he made prize of a Portuguese,
laden with bale goods and stores. He rigged the Wright galley anew, and
put on board of her some of the goods. Soon after he had discharged the
Portuguese, he met with a Dutch East Indiaman of 28 guns, whose captain
was killed the first broadside, and took her with little resistance, for
he had hoisted the pirate's colors on board Spelt's ship.

He now, with three sail, steered for the island of Ferdinando, where
he hove down and cleaned the Flying Dragon. Having careened, he put 11
Dutchmen on board Capt. Spelt, to make amends for the hands he had
forced from him, and sent him away, making him a present of the goods he
had taken from the Portuguese ship. When he sailed himself, he ordered
the Dutch to stay at Ferdinando 24 hours after his departure;
threatening, if he did not comply, to sink his ship, if he fell a second
time into his hands, and to put all the company to the sword. He then
stood for the coast of Brazil, where he met a Portuguese man of war of
70 guns, which he came up with. The Portuguese hailed him, and he
answered,
from London, bound to Buenos Ayres
. The Portuguese manned
his shrouds and cheered him, when Condent fired a broadside, and a smart
engagement ensued for the space of three glasses; but Condent finding
himself over-matched, made the best of his way, and being the best
sailer, got off.

A few days after, he took a vessel of the same nation, who gave an
account that he had killed above forty men in the Guarda del Costa,
beside a number wounded. He kept along the coast to the southward, and
took a French ship of 18 guns, laden with wine and brandy, bound for the
South Sea, which he carried with him into the River of Platte. He sent
some of his men ashore to kill some wild cattle, but they were taken by
the crew of a Spanish man-of-war. On their examination before the
captain, they said they were two Guinea ships, with slaves belonging to
the South Sea company, and on this story were allowed to return to their
boats. Here five of his forced men ran away with his canoe; he plundered
the French ship, cut her adrift, and she was stranded. He proceeded
along the Brazil coast, and hearing a pirate ship was lost upon it, and
the pirates imprisoned, he used all the Portuguese who fell into his
hands, who were many, very barbarously, cutting off their ears and
noses; and as his master was a papist, when they took a priest, they
made him say mass at the mainmast, and would afterwards get on his back
and ride him about the decks, or else load and drive him like a beast.
He from this went to the Guinea coast, and took Capt. Hill, in the
Indian Queen.

In Luengo Bay he saw two ships at anchor, one a Dutchman of 44 guns, the
other an English ship, called the Fame, Capt. Bowen, commander. They
both cut and ran ashore; the Fame was lost, but the Dutch ship the
pirate got off and took with him. When he was at sea again, he
discharged Captain Hill, and stood away for the East Indies. Near the
Cape he took an Ostend East-Indiaman, of which Mr. Nash, a noted
merchant of London, was supercargo. Soon after he took a Dutch
East-Indiaman, discharged the Ostender, and made for Madagascar. At the
Isle of St. Mary, he met with some of Capt. Halsey's crew, whom he took
on board with other stragglers, and shaped his course for the
East-Indies, and in the way, at the island of Johanna, took, in company
with two other pirates he met at St. Mary's, the Cassandra
East-Indiaman, commanded by Capt. James Macraigh. He continued his
course for the East-Indies, where he made a very great booty; and
returning, touched at the island of Mascarenhas, where he met with a
Portuguese ship of 70 guns, with the viceroy of Goa on board. This ship
he made prize of, and hearing she had money on board, they would allow
of no ransom, but carried her to the coast of Zanguebar, where was a
Dutch fortification, which they took and plundered, razed the fort, and
carried off several men voluntarily. From hence they stood for St.
Mary's, where they shared their booty, broke up their company, and
settled among the natives. Here a snow came from Bristol, which they
obliged to carry a petition to the governor of Mascarenhas for a pardon,
though they paid the master very generously. The governor returned
answer he would take them into protection if they would destroy their
ships, which they agreed to, and accordingly sunk the Flying Dragon, &c.
Condent and some others went to Mascarenhas, where Condent married the
governor's sister-in-law, and remained some time; but, as I have been
credibly informed, he is since come to France, settled at St. Maloes,
and drives a considerable trade as a merchant.