262 THE LIVERPOOL BUCCANEERS. 



collected, and stedfast to his infernal purpose, brought all his better 

 intellectual powers to play on the weaker, but yet guiltless, men by 

 whom he was surrounded. All his persuasions threatened to be 

 fruitless, until, in an unhappy hour, Thompson (who was distin- 

 guished by great levity of character) yielded to his representations, 

 and became an apostle of villany. Example was too strong for prin- 

 ciple with the others, and one by one they became adherents to the 

 diabolical intent of their captain. Ere they entered the Straits of 

 Gibraltar, they were only averted from the spoil of a Dutch vessel, 

 they met with, by her being destined for Smyrna, and Delano's fear 

 of being recognized by some one on board of her ; but, as day broke, 

 on the 2d of August 1819, he found himself close to the Helen, and 

 having ascertained her character and destination, he stood off during 

 the day to combine with his crew on the mode of making her his 

 prey, in which it has been shewn he so well and unhappily suc- 

 ceeded ; but, it must be told, that cowardly as villainous, the chief 

 instigator to the deed remained on board his own vessel until his 

 associates had, on the succeeding morning, convinced him of their 

 having securely accomplished his design. As night closed upon the 

 Helen, after the piracy had been effected, remorse and sorrow seized 

 most of the William's crew, and, for a season, they were dejected and 

 penitent; but the author of the mischief was impenetrable to pity 

 or regret, and, steering for the Island of Sardinia, he disposed of the 

 greater portion of the spoil to Greek and Italian vessels for several 

 thousand dollars, allotting an insignificant portion of the sale to his 

 seamen ; and thence steering for Malta, where he was well known 

 and welcomed, rid himself of the rest of his capture, on the pretence 

 of its being the property of a bankrupt in England, and then de- 

 parted for Smyrna. 



Two days after he had sailed, His Majesty's ship Spey, 

 arrived from the coast of Spain, having taken on board at Alicant, 

 Heath and Humphries, two of the Helen's seamen, who, in giving 

 information of the piracy, thus detailed them, and their companions 

 extraordinary rescue from a miserable death. All hope had 

 abandoned the Helen's crew, as the water arose around them ; but 

 on throwing himself into a berth to await his last, Heath struck 

 against a hard substance, before unobserved by him and others, 

 which, on examination proved to be a hatchet. Again the efforts of 

 the prisoners, to force the hatches were applied, and this time with 

 success : when they all reached the deck, creeping on their hands 

 and knees, and there beheld the devastation and ruin of their vessel ; 

 while they observed the pirate at about a leagues distance from them. 

 In the momentary fear of the brig's sinking, they hastened to sur- 

 round the long boat with tarpaulins, and to launch her; and just as 

 the sun was set, finding their enemy had altered her course, and was 

 again approaching them, they tremblingly sought doubtful safety in 

 the frail and shattered boat, which they were obliged continually to 

 bail with their hats, while such as could be spared, from thus 

 keeping her afloat, rowed in darkness and danger, towards the 

 Spanish shore. About one in the morning their strength began to 

 fail them, and again they had given themselves up for lost, when 



