4H B U C A 
ytcarjtof navigation. They gave up alithe power, con- 
veniences, and fortune, which their connections procured 
them, and formed theinfelvesalmoft into to many diilinct and 
leparate flutes. They were fenfible of the.inconveniencies 
arifing from fuch a conduit, and avowed them; but the 
dread of falting into the hands'of rapacious and favage 
men, had greater influence over them than the dictates of 
intereft and policy. This delpondency ferved only to in- 
Creafe the boldnefs of the bucaneers. As yet tlicy had 
only appeared in the Spanifh fettlentents, in order to carry 
off fome provifions when they were in want of them. 
They no fooner f-ound their captures begin to diminifh, 
than they determined to recover by land what they had 
loft at fea. The richeff and molt populous countries of 
the continent were plundered and laid wade. The culture 
of lands was equally neglected with navigation ; and the 
Spaniards dared no more appear in their public roads than 
fail in the latitudes which belonged to them. Among the 
bucaneers who fignalized themfeives in this new fpecies of 
depredatiofty Montbar, a gentleman of Languedoc, parti¬ 
cularly diftinguifhed himfelf. Having by chance, in his 
youthful days, met with a circumftantial account of the 
cruelties praCfifed in the conqueft of the new world, he 
conceived an averlion which he carried to a degree of fren¬ 
zy againft that nation which had committed fuch enormi¬ 
ties. The enthufiafm this idea worked him up to, was 
turned into a rage more cruel than that of religious fana- 
ticifm, to which fo many victims have been facrificed. 
He had heard fome account of the bucaneers, who were 
faid to be the moft inveterate enemies to the Spanifn name : 
heAberefore embarked on-board a fhip, in order to join 
them. In the paffage, they met with a Spanifh veffel, and 
immediately boarded it. Montbar, with a fabre in his 
hand, fell upon the enemy ; broke through them ; and, 
hurrying twice from one end of the fhip to the other, le¬ 
velled every thing that oppofed him. When he had com¬ 
pelled the enemy to furrender, leaving to Iris companions 
the happinefs of dividing fo rich a. booty, he contented 
himfelf with the favage pleafure of contemplating t lie dead* 
bodies of the Spaniards, lying in heaps together, againft 
whom he had (worn a conftant and deadly hatred. Frefh 
opportunities foon. occurred, that enabled him to exert 
this fpirjt of revenge. The fhip he was in arrived on the 
coaft of St. Domingo ; where the bucaneers immediately 
applied to barter their provifions for brandy. As the ar¬ 
ticles they offered were of little value, they alleged in ex- 
cufe, that their enemies had over-run the country,, and 
laid wafle their fettlements; and that they had no chief to 
lead them againft the Spaniards. “--If you approve of it 
(anfwered Montbar), I will lead you againft them, and 
be the foremoft to ex.pofe myfelf to danger.” The buca- 
neers, perceiving he was Inch a man as they wanted, cheer¬ 
fully accepted his offer. They quickly fought the enemy, 
and Montbar attacked them with an imperuofity that atlo- 
nifhed tiie braveft ; and the Spaniards fuffered fo much 
from him, both by land and at fea, that he acquired the 
name of the Exterminator 
His favage difpofition, as well as that of the other bu¬ 
caneers who attended him, having obliged the Spaniards 
to confine themfeives within their fettlements, thefe free¬ 
booters refblved to attack them there. This new method 
of carrying on the war required fuperior forces ; and their 
affbeiations in conlequence became more numerous. The 
firft that was confiderable was formed by Lolonois, who 
derived his name from the lands of O)ones the place of 
his birth. From theabjed ‘1 date of a bond I man., he had 
gradually railed himfelf to the command of two canoes, 
with twenty-two men. With thefe he was- fo fuccefstul 
as to take a Spanifh frigate on the coaft of Cuba. He then 
repaired to Port an Prince, in whie 1 vav ere four (hips, fitted 
out purpoftly to fail in purfuit of him. He took them, and 
threw all the crew into the fea except one man, whom he 
faved, in order to fend him with a letter to the governor 
of the Havannah, acquainting him with vi hat lie had done, 
and alluring him that he w.ouLd treat in the fame manner 
N» E E R. 
all the Spaniards that fhould fall into liis hands, not ex¬ 
cepting the governor himfelf, if lie fhould be fo fortunate 
as to take him. After this expedition, lie ran his canoes 
and prize-ftiips aground, and failed with his frigate only 
to the ifland of Tortuga. Here he met with Michael de 
Bafco, who had diftinguifhed himfelf by having taken a 
Spanifh fhip, eftimated at 218,50,0!. and by oilier actions' 
equally daring. Thefe two gave out, that they were go¬ 
ing to embark together on a new expedition ; in conle¬ 
quence ot which they foon collected together 440 men. 
This armament failed to the bay of Venezuela, which., 
runs up into the country fur the fpace of fifty leagues. 
The fort built for its defence was foon taken; the cannon 
were nailed up ; and the whole garrifon, confiding of 250-.' 
men, were put to death. They then reimbarked, and 
came to Maracaybo, on the weftern coaft of the lake of the 
fame name, at the diftance of ten leagues from its mouth. 
This city, which had become flou riffling and rich by its 
trade in (kins, tobacco, and cocoa, was deferted. The 
inhabitants had retired with their effects to the other fide 
of the bay. If the bucaneers had not loft a fortnight in 
riot and debauch, they would have found at Gibraltar, 
near the extremity of the lake, every thing that the inha¬ 
bitants had fecreted to fecure it from being plundered.. 
On the contrary, they met with fortifications lately ereft- 
ed, which they had the ufelefs fatisfuftion of making tliem- 
felves mafters of at the expence of a great deal of blood 
while the inhabitants removed the moft valuable part of 
their property. Exafperated at this difappointment, they 
fet fire to Gibraltar’; and Maracaybo would have (hared 
the fame fate, had it not been ran fome d. Befides the fum 
they received for its ranfom, they carried off all the erodes, 
pictures, and bells, of the churches ; intending, as they 
faid, to build a chapel in the ifland of Tortuga, and to 
confecrate this part of their fpoils to (acred purpofes. 
While they were diflipating the. fpoils they had made ore 
the coaft of Venezuela, Morgan,, the moft daring of the 
Englifh bucaneers, failed from,- Jamaica to attack Porto- 
Bello. His plan of operations was fo well contrived, that 
he furprifed the city, and took it without oppolition. The 
conqueft of Panama, his next object, was of much greater 
importance. To fecure this, Morgan thought it neceflary 
to fail in the latitudes of Carta.Ricca; to procure fome 
guides in tlie ifland of St. Catharine’s, where the Spaniards 
confined their malefactors. This plac-e was fo (trongly for¬ 
tified, that it ought to have held out for ten years againft 
a.conliderable army. Notwithftanding this, the governor, 
on the firft appearance of the pirates, fent privately to. 
concert meafures how he might furrender without incur¬ 
ring the imputation of cowardice: The refult of this con- 
fultation was, that Morgan, in the night-time, fhould at¬ 
tack a fort at fome diftance, and the governor fhould fally. 
out of the citadel to defend it; the affailants fhould attack 
him in the rear, and take him prifoner,.which would con- 
fequently occafion a furrender of the place. This farce 
was admirably carried on. The Spaniards, without being 
expofed to any danger, appeared to have done their duty ; 
and the bucaneers, after haying totally demoliflied the 
fortifications, and put on-board their veffels a prodigious 
quantity of warlike ammunition, fleered their courfe to¬ 
wards the river Chagre, the only channel that led to the 
place which was the next object of their withes. At the 
entrance of this river, a fort was built upon a ftee.p rock. 
This bulwark, very difficult of accefs,. was defended by 
an officer whafe extraordinary abilities were equal to his 
courage, and by a garrifon that delerved fuch a comman¬ 
der. The bucaneers, now for the firft time, met with a 
reliftance that could only be equalled by their perfeve- 
rance : i,t was a doubtful point whether they would fuc- 
ceed or not, when an accident happened that proved fa¬ 
vourable to their fortune. The commander was killed, 
and the fort accidentally took fire ; the befiegers then, tak¬ 
ing advantage of this double calamity, made themfeives 
mafters of the place. Morgan left his veffels at anchor, 
with a fufficient number of men to guard them ;,and fail- 
