16 THE SEA. 



after having- spent all, naturally went to sea again, and set forth for the coast of Campechy. 

 Fifteen days after his arrival he took a canoe, and went to examine the port, but his 

 fortune failed, and he and all his men were taken and committed to a dungeon. Doubtless 

 they would have all been hanged but for a stratagem of Brasiliano, which saved their 

 lives. He wrote a letter to the governor in the names of his fellow pirates at sea, warning 

 him of their power, and that their blood would be on his head. The governor was 

 frightened out of his wits, and released them on the bare promise that they would not be 

 pirates again. As a nominal punishment, he sent them as drafts on the Spanish galleons, 

 and they went to Spain. They returned, to be worse pirates than ever. 



The Spaniards about this period became so tired t of sending vessels to sea only to lose 

 them, that they diminished the number considerably. But this was of no avail, for the 

 pirates then turned their attention to the Spanish towns and settlements. One Lewis 

 Scot sacked the city of Campechy, which he almost ruined ; another pirate, named 

 Mansvelt, invaded New Granada ; while John Davis gave his unwelcome attentions 

 to Nicaragua. 



This freebooter, having long been unfortunate in his enterprises, resolved on a desperate 

 expedient. Leaving his ship hidden on the coast, he took eighty out of ninety men 

 which he had in all, and divided them in three canoes. In the dark of night they entered 

 the river leading to the city; proceeding cautiously, they hid themselves by day under the 

 thickly wooded banks. On the third night they arrived at the city, at the outposts of 

 which, on the river, the guard allowed them to pass, as most of them spoke Spanish, and he 

 took them for fishermen. They had with them an Indian guide who had run away from 

 his master in Nicaragua, and he went ashore and speedily despatched the sentinel. The 

 pirate band then entered the city, and knocked softly at the houses of several chief 

 citizens, who, believing them to be friends, opened their doors. The pirates soon convinced 

 them to the contrary, and rifled them of all the money and plate they could find. The 

 churches were pillaged and profaned. Meantime the citizens collected their forces, and the 

 pirates saw that they must get away with the prisoners they had taken; "these they led 

 away, that if any of them should be taken by the Spaniards they might use them for 

 ransom. Thus they got to their ships, and with all speed put to sea, forcing the prisoners, 

 before they let them go, to procure as much flesh as was necessary for their voyage to 

 Jamaica. But no sooner had they weighed anchor when they saw a troop of about 

 500 Spaniards, all well armed, at the sea-side; against these they let fly several guns, 

 wherewith they forced them to quit the sands and retire, with no small regret to see these 

 pirates carry away so much plate of their churches and houses, though distant at least 

 forty leagues from the sea." Davis and his men divided the Spanish coin and jewels, to 

 the value of about ten thousand pounds in English money. The captain was afterwards 

 chosen admiral of seven or eight vessels, and pillaged a town in Florida, named St. Augustine, 

 although it possessed a castle protected by 200 men. 



One of the most famous or, more properly speaking, infamous pirates of the day was 

 Francis Lolonois, a native of France. " In his youth he was transported to the Caribee 

 Islands, in quality of servant or slave, according to custom, of which we have already 

 spoken. Being out of his time, he came to Hispaniola, where he joined for some time the 



