81 



THE SEA. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE PIRATES AND BUCANIERS. 



Who was the First Pirate?- The Society of Bucaniers 

 Home of the Freebooters Rise of the Band- 

 Impecunious Spanish Governors and their Roguery 

 Great Capture of Spanish Treasure An Unjust 

 Seizure, but no Redress - Esquemeling's Narrative- 

 Voyage from Havre " Baptism " of the French 

 Mariners Other Ceremonies At Tortuga Occupied 

 and re-occupied by French and Spanish The French 

 West India Company Esquemeling twice sold as a 

 Slave He joins the Society of Pirates Wild Boars 

 and Savage Mastiffs How the Wild Dogs came to 

 the Islands Cruelty of the Planters -A Terrible Case 

 of Retribution The Murderer of a Hundred Slaves 

 The First Tortugan Pirate Pierre le Grand A Des- 

 perate Attack Rich Prize taken Rapid Spread of 

 Piracy How the Rovers armed their Ships Regu- 

 lations of their Voyages " No Prey, no Pay "The 

 richly-laden Vessels of New Spain The Pearl Fisheries 

 An Enterprising Pirate -Success and Failure His 

 Final Surrender. 



TTTHO was the first pirate is a question 

 easier to ask than to answer. We 

 may be sure, however, that not long- after 

 navigation had become a recognised art 

 the opportunities for robbery on the sea 

 produced a breed of " water-rats," who 



