tection, otherwiſe they muſt be either killed or made Slaves. They ſtrengthened their Party, and tied ſome to them by intereſt; when there was no War, they contrived to ſpirit up private Quarrels among them, and upon every little Diſpute or Miſunderſtanding, puſh on one Side or other to Revenge; inſtruct them how to attack or ſurprize their Adverſaries, and lend them loaded Piſtols or Firelocks to diſpatch them with; the Conſequence of which was, that the Murderer was forced to fly to them for the ſafety of his Life, with his Wives, Children and Kindred.
Such as theſe were faſt Friends, as their Lives depended upon the ſafety of his Protectors; for as we obſerved before, our Pyrates were grown ſo terrible, that none of their Neighbours had Reſolution enough to attack them in an open War.
By ſuch Arts as theſe, in the Space of a few Years, their Body was greatly increaſed, they then began to ſeparate themſelves, and remove at a greater Diſtance from one another, for the Convenience of more Ground, and were divided like Jews, into Tribes, each carrying with him his Wives and Children, (of which, by this Time they had a large Family,) as alſo their Quota of Dependants and Followers; and if Power and Command be the Thing which diſtinguiſh a Prince, theſe Ruffians had all the Marks of Royalty about them, nay more, they had the very Fears which commonly diſturb Tyrants, as may be ſeen by the extream Caution they took in fortifying the Places where they dwelt.
In this Plan of Fortification they imitated one another, their Dwellings were rather Citadels than Houſes; they made Choice of a Place overgrown with Wood, and ſcituate near a Water; they raiſed a Rampart or high Ditch round it, ſo ſtrait and high, that it was impoſſible to climb it, and eſpe-
