A PIRATE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 79 



disposed would not, however, join the mutinous, and they were immediately hustled into 

 a boat, and left to the mercy of the waves with one pair of oars. Had the weather 

 continued calm the boat would have made the shore by dusk ; but unhappily a strong 

 gale of wind set in shortly after her departure, and she was seen by De Soto and his gang 

 struggling with the billows and approaching night at a considerable distance from the 

 land. All on board agreed in opinion that the boat could not live, as they flew away from 

 her at the rate of ten knots an hour, under close-reefed topsails, leaving their unhappy 

 messmates to their inevitable fate. Those of the pirates who were afterwards executed at 

 Cadiz declared that every soul in the boat perished. A drunken revel reigned on board 

 that night. The mate soon proved a tyrant; and De Soto, who had only waited for the 

 opportunity, shot him while in a drunken sleep, and constituted himself commander. The 

 slaves were taken to the West Indies, and a good price obtained for them; one, a boy, 

 De Soto reserved for himself. That boy lived to be a witness against him, and before 

 he left Cadiz saw the full penalty of the law executed on his brutal master. 



The pirates now commenced their villanous designs in good earnest, and plundered 

 a number of vessels. Amongst others they took an American brig, and having secured 

 all the valuables on board, hatched down all hands in the hold except one poor black 

 man probably the cook who was allowed to remain on deck for the special purpose of 

 affording by his tortures the horrible amusement De Soto and his fellow fiends desired. 

 The heart sickens at the remainder of the story. They set fire to the brig, and then 

 lay to at a short distance to observe the progress of the flames, knowing that a number 

 of their fellow- creatures were being roasted to death in the hold. The poor African ran 

 from rope to rope, now clinging to the shrouds, even climbing up to the mast-head, 

 till he fell exhausted in the flames, and the tragedy was over. 



Exploit after exploit, marked by heartless butchery, followed, and culminated in the 

 event which led to their overthrow. It was an evil day when they met, off the Island 

 of Ascension, the Morning Star, a vessel then on her voyage from Ceylon to England, 

 having on board a valuable cargo and a number of passengers, civilian and military, the 

 latter principally invalided soldiers. There were also several ladies on board. De Soto at 

 first took her for a French ship, but when he was assured that she was English he 

 said with glee, " So much the better, we shall find the more booty/' and ordered the sails 

 squared for the chase. 



His vessel, the Defensor de Pedro, was a fast sailer, but for some time could not gain much 

 on the Morning Star, and De Soto broke out in almost ungovernable fits of rage. When 

 his poor little cabin-boy came to ask him whether he would have his morning cup of 

 chocolate, he received a violent blow from a telescope as his reward. While the crew 

 were clearing the decks for action he walked up and down with gloomy brow and folded 

 arms, maturing his plan of attack ; and woe to the man who interrupted his meditations ! 

 But when he found that he was gaining on his intended victim he became calm enough 

 to eat his breakfast, and then sat down to smoke a cigar. 



And now they had gained sufficiently on the other ship to enable De Soto to fire a charge 

 of blank cartridge for the purpose of bringing her to. This, however, had no effect, although 

 he hoisted British colours; and he then shouted out, "Shoot the long gun, and give it 



