70 THE SEA. 



settled, Captain Holford, as soon as he returned to his ship, sent his mate, armed, to 

 Vane, who had his pistol ready cocked, and told him he was his prisoner. No man 

 daring to make opposition, he was brought aboard and put into irons; and when Captain 

 Holford arrived at Jamaica he delivered up his old acquaintance to justice, at which place 

 he was tried, convicted, and executed, as was, some time before, Vane's companion, Robert 

 Deal, who was brought thither by one of the men-of-war. " It is clear," says the 

 original narrator, "from this how little ancient friendship will avail a great villain when 

 he is deprived of the power that had before supported and rendered him formidable." 



Another pirate of the same period was Captain Worley, who commenced business by 

 leaving New York, in September, 1718, in a small open boat, with eight men, six muskets, 

 a few pounds of biscuit and dried tongues, and a keg of water. He took first a 

 shallop laden with household goods and plate, and later three sloops. He was becoming 

 formidable enough to cause uneasiness to the authorities, who despatched two armed sloops 

 after him. Worley saw them off the coast of Virginia, and believing that they were two 

 vessels bound for the James River, hastened to get into its mouth first. Meantime 

 the inhabitants of James Town, supposing that all three were pirates, made every pre- 

 paration ashore to defend themselves. Their surprise must have been great indeed when 

 they saw the pirates were fighting among themselves. Worley had waited in the entrance 

 of the river, with the black colours flying, when he discovered that the approaching vessels 

 hoisted English colours, and that he was entrapped. The pirate and his men fought 

 bravely, and when the action was over Worley and only one man out of twenty-five sur- 

 vived. As they would probably have died of their wounds in a short time they were 

 brought ashore in irons, and hanged almost immediately. Worley's career as a pirate had 

 lasted less than five months. 



Yet another example. Captain Edward Low had, as a boy, shown peculiarly brutal 

 qualities. He had bullied, and in low games had cheated, every one he could, so that it 

 was not surprising that when grown to man's estate he developed into a successful but 

 specially obnoxious villain. After sundry vicissitudes he had entered among the company 

 of a ship bound to Honduras for logwood, and when arrived there was employed in 

 bringing it on shore in command of a party of twelve armed men. One day the boat 

 came alongside the ship just a little before dinner-time, and Low desired that they should 

 remain for the meal, while the captain wanted them to make one more trip, and offered 

 them a bottle of rum. Low and some of the men became enraged, and the former 

 took a loaded musket and fired at the captain, missing him, but injuring another man. They 

 then ran away with the boat, and only next day took a small vessel, on which they 

 hoisted the black flag. 



Fortune now constantly favoured him, and he was joined by many others. At the 

 Azores he captured a French ship of thirty-four guns, taking her with his own two 

 vessels. Entering St. Michael's roadstead, he captured seven sail without firing a gun. 

 He then sent ashore to the governor for water and provisions, promising to release the 

 vessels if his demands were conceded, and burn them if they were not. The request was 

 instantly granted, and six of the vessels were returned. But a French vessel being among 

 them, they took away all her guns and men, except the cook, whom they said, " being a 



