RESOURCES OF THE PIRATE. 



329 



converting Jack into a soldier. The severity of 

 his discipline, however, struck such terror into the 

 seamen's minds, that he not only made them 

 handle a musket, and submit to the drilling and 

 dressing, practices utterly repugnant to their ha- 

 bits, but, for a time, entirely stopped desertion. 

 He first put the captain of the Perseverance to 

 death for having attempted to escape ; and some 

 time afterwards, having caught one of the seamen 

 who had deserted, he inhumanly ordered the poor 

 fellow to be cut to pieces, and the mangled body 

 to be exhibited as a warning to the others. 



Benavides, though unquestionably a ferocious 

 savage, was, nevertheless, a man of resource, full 

 of activity, and of considerable energy of charac- 

 ter. He converted the whale spears and harpoons 

 into lances for his cavalry, and halberts for his 

 sergeants ; and out of the sails he made trowsers 

 for half his army : the carpenters he set to build- 

 ing baggage- carts, and repairing his boats; the ar- 

 mourers he kept perpetually at work, mending 

 muskets, and making pikes ; managing, in this 

 way, to turn the skill of every one of his prisoners 

 to some useful account. He treated the officers, 



