have ſuffered by the ſaid Roberts and his Accomplices, during our forcible Detainment, by the ſaid Company: We moſt humbly implore your Majeſty’s moſt royal Aſſent, to this our humble Petition.
And your Petitioners ſhall ever pray.
This Petition was ſent home by a Merchant Ship bound to England, from Jamaica, who promiſed to ſpeak with the Petitioners, in their Return, about 20 Leagues to Windward of that Iſland, and let them know what Succeſs their Petition met with. When this was done, the Pyrates retires to the Iſland before propoſed, with the Ship and Brigantine.
This Iſland (which I have no Name for) lies off the Southweſt End of Cuba, uninhabited, and little frequented. On the Eaſt End is a Lagune, ſo narrow, that a Ship can but juſt go in, tho’ there’s from 15 to 22 Foot Water, for almoſt a League up: On both Sides of the Lagune grows red Mangrove Trees, very thick, that the Entrance of it, as well as the Veſſels laying there, is hardly to be ſeen. In the Middle of the Iſland are here and there a ſmall thick Wood of tall Pines, and other Trees ſcattered about in different Places.
Here they ſtaid about nine Months, but not having Proviſion for above two, they were forced to take what the Iſland afforded, which was Fiſh of ſeveral Sorts, particularly Turtle, which latter was the chiefeſt Food they lived on, and was found in great Plenty on the Coaſts of this Iſland; whether there might be any wild Hogs, Beef, or other Cattle, common to ſeveral Iſlands of the Weſt-Indies, or that the Pyrates were too idle to hunt them, or whether they preferr’d other Proviſions to that ſort of Diet, I know not; but I was informed by them, that for the whole Time they eat not a Bit of any kind of Fleſh-Meat, nor Bread; the latter wasſupply’d
