this Confuſion he enquired for the Priſoner, of whom he had before heard a good Character; and thinks he rendered all the Service in his Power, for preventing it; in particular, he underſtood by all Hands, that he had ſeized, and taken, from one James Philips, a lighted Match, at the Inſtant he was going down to the Magazine, ſwearing, that he ſhould ſend them all to Hl together. He had heard alſo, that after Roberts was killed, the Priſoner ordered the Colours to be ſtruck; and had ſince ſhown, how oppoſite his Practice and Principles had been, by diſcovering who were the greateſt Rogues among them.
The Priſoner, in his own Defence, ſays, when he had the Miſfortune of falling into the Pyrates Hands, he was chief Mate of the Samuel, of London, Captain Cary; and when he had hid himſelf, to prevent the Deſign of carrying him away, they found him, and beat and threw him over-board. Seven Days afterwards, upon his objecting againſt, and refuſing to ſign their Articles, he was cut and abus’d again: That tho’ after this he ingratiated himſelf, by a more humble Carriage, it was only to make Life eaſy; the Shares they had given him, having been from Time to Time returned again to ſuch Priſoners as fell in his Way; till of late, indeed, he had made a ſmall Reſervation, and had deſired Captain Loan to take two or three Moidores from him, to carry to his Wife. He was once taken, he ſays, at making his Eſcape, in the Weſt-Indies, and, with two more, ſentenced to be ſhot for it, by a drunken Jury; the latter actually ſuffered, and he was preſerved only by one of the chief Pyrates taking a ſudden Liking to him, and bullying the others. A ſecond time he ran away at Hiſpaniola, carrying a Pocket Compaſs, for conducting him through the Woods; but that being a moſt deſolate and wild Part of the Iſland he fell upon, and he igno-rant
