ſour Look or two at choaking. No,
Thus he preach’d himſelf into an Approbation of what he at firſt abhorr’d; and being daily regal’d with Muſick, Drinking, and the Gaiety and Diverſions of his Companions, theſe deprav’d Propenſities were quickly edg’d and ſtrengthen’d, to the extinguiſhing of Fear and Conſcience. Yet among all the vile and ignominious Acts he had perpetrated, he is ſaid to have had an Averſion towards forcing Men into that Service, and had procured ſome their Diſcharge, notwithſtanding ſo many made it their Plea.
A merry Life and a ſhort one,
ſhall be my Motto.
When Roberts was gone, as tho’ he had been the Life and Soul of the Gang, their Spirits ſunk; many deſerted their Quarters, and all ſtupidly neglected any Means for Defence, or Eſcape; and their Main-maſt ſoon after being ſhot by the Board, they had no Way left, but to ſurrender and call for Quarters. The Swallow kept aloof, while her Boat paſſed, and repaſſed for the Priſoners; becauſe they underſtood they were under an Oath to blow up; and ſome of the Deſperadoes ſhewed a Willingneſs that Way, Matches being lighted, and Scuffles happening between thoſe who would, and thoſe who oppoſed it: But I cannot eaſily account for this Humour, which can be term’d no more than a falſe Courage, ſince any of them had Power to deſtroy his own Life, either by Piſtol, or Drowning, without involving others in the ſame Fate, who are in no Temper of Mind for it: And at beſt, it had been only dying, for fear of Death.
She had 40 Guns, and 157 Men, 45 whereof were Negroes; three only were killed in the Action, without any Loſs to the Swallow. There was found upwards of 2000 l. in Gold-Duſt in her. The Flag could not be got eaſily from under the fallen Maſt, and was therefore recover’d by the Swallow; it had the Figure of a Skeleton in it, and a Man pourtray’d
