Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-16

| After the peace OF RySW1ck, Wnen flnS-
land became allied with Spain and Holland
against France 1t became no longer posi-
| ple for the buccaneers to devastate the
West Indies as they had done. If lawless
and bloody men desired to become pirates
they now had to seek elsewhere for prey.
For England and Holland would no longer
| allow Englishmen and Dutchnlen to rob
| their allies. the Spaniards.
| So it was that buccaneering came to an
[ end.
| At that time the European nations had
| just fairly begun that trade with the East
indies that afterward poured such food
of wealth into the western world. Already
a great stream Of commerce came and " ent
around the Cape of Good Hope and up back
| of the Island of Madagascar and through
| the passage between Johanna and the
smaller islands. 1t was here that these
| later freebooters found fresh fields for
| their enterprise.
The West Indies, 10 longer open to free
| booting were comparatively Lear to home,
| but here on the further coast of Africa
| the would-be pirates were so far away
| from all the rest of the world that no law
| could touch Them 1t only depended on
good, hard, stubborn lighting to win almost
| whatever fortune they chose.
The later pirates were called, not buc-
| cancers, but marOonerS.
| If you Will look IN your dictionary for the
| WOFu maroon, you Will ma tnats IL means
| ITO put ashore on ieSolate island 1t
| was from this meaning that these later
| pirates gained their name, for it was thus
that the pirate captains used to serve those
| of their crew who mutinied against them;
! or, If the muttneering crew We're stronger,
| it was thus they used to serve their pirate
| captain Or II the pirates captured a ship
and did not know how else to dispose of
| the crew, they tnarooned them some
! deserted island, sailing away and leaving
| them TO their fate.
Among the earliest of the famous ma
rooners was Capt. Avery, who captured
the ship Of the Great Mogul together with
his daughter, her court and all the inesti-
mable treasure in Jewels and gold.
The earliest known of Capt. Avery is as
first mate aboard a ship called The
Duke" which. after the peace OF Ryswick
had been fitted out by the Spanish govern
ment at Bristol In England. and sent to
| ia, or coast guard. to keep away the
| French smugglers who used 20 sail over
! from Martinique to travel along the coast
| of the Spanish main.
The comrnander of 1.-The Duke" was one
| Capt. Gibson of Bristol He was. as the
| historian expresses it, nightly addicted
! to punch. 50 that he passed most of the
| time on shore in some ordinary
| Thus 1t came about that the ship and the
| ships company were left altogether in
| charge of FIRST Mate Avery. who spent all
| this time in persuading the crew to muttny
| and turn pirates.
| The crew. many of whom were from the
| West indies. were only too willing to listen
| to him. &c. one night while the captain
| lay stupeiied in drunken sleep in his
cabin. the mutineers. under command of
Avery, slipped the cable and sailed away to
! sea, passing directly under the stern of a
Dutch frigate of forty guns, which did not
seem to think 1t worth while to stop them
| Meanwhile. Capt. Gibson slept on, snoring
| like good fellow. Nor did Avery disturb
| him. allowing him to sleep on until the
! next day. Then, when he was as fairly
awake as he could be in his tipsy condition,
| the mutineers put him into an open boat
| with those few who refused to join with
| them and watched them as they pulled
away toward the distant line of tropical
shore. Then they hOisted sail and bore
| away eastward toward the far distant
| coast of Africa. bound for Madagascar and
| to make their fortunes.
There Is no need to follow the beginning
| of Capt. Avery's adventures. 1t is only
| necessary to say that he was SO fortunate
| in his cruise of several months that he was
able to gather around him and under his
own flag a fleet of pirate vessels that he
| felt strong enough to undertake almost
any venture that he chose in those out of
| the way seas. So, with this fleet, he
| cruised about the south coast of India for
| awhile, making now this capture and now
| that, until one day, off the mouth of the
Indus river, he came up with large ship
| which he thought at first was q Dutch
East 1ndaman homeward bound.
They had really come upon a richer prize
than any peaceable Dutchman in all those
| waters.
| The pirates fired across the ships
| bows expecting that she would at once
| surrender. but she Immediately hoisted the
| Mogul colors and stood upon her defense.
| 1t was G short fight, however, for in a little
while the pirates had hauled up alongside,
| had grappled. and presently were pouring
| aboard of the devoted prize; half naked,
| screaming. yelling like mad and driving
| the poor Indians helter-skelter down be-
| low.
| Then it was that Capt Avery found
| indeed what a prize he had captured. She
| was says the historian, "one of the Great
| Mogurs own ships. and there were in her
| several of the greatest persons of his court,
| among whom, it was said was one of his
daughters. who was going on a pilgrimage
| to Mecca"
| Nc one can tell just how great was the
| treasure taken from the Mogul ship. One
| can only know from Capt Averys after
! history that it was enormous.
All that day the pirates were busy strip
| ping their prize and making merry with
| rich food and wines. Then when evening
came they sailed away, yelling and cheer
| the Great Mogul's Ship floating upon the
| water, stripped of her inestimable treasure,
| helpless and silent
| The pirate fleet was composed mostly OF
| small sloops and brigantines. Capt. Av-
| e1ys own ship was far the largest and
most powerfully armed. Accordingly for
safekeeping,,i all the treasure which they
| had captured was put aboard his ship.
| People talk of honor among thieves. If
there is such thing Capt. Avery did not
have any fit That night when the fleet
was all sailing toward Madagascar, there
! to share their booty according to agree
ment, Avery gave orders to change the
course of "The Duke" and when morning
broke the other pirates found that the cap
| tain and all the inestimable treasure which
they had jpst captured was gone, never to
be seen again. Nothing was there but
| themselves, the boundless stretch of ocean
| and sky.
And now for While in the gloom and
| indstinctness CT that far-away past we see
| only a dim image of the figure of Avery
| We know tht.t he came in his ship and his
pirate crew to Boston, in the Americas
| where for a while he and his men were
seen about othe Streets and the harbor
front; strange, suspicious figures now and
then tippling and drinking in the taverns
but always appearing objectless, aimless,
morose, sullen.
What would the good people of Boston
| have thought had they known that the pir-
ate captain had, slung about his neck, a
little leathern bag in which was treas
ure of glistening, shining. precious stones
diamonds. rubies emeralds-enough for a
| kings ransom.
The historian of this famous pirate says
| that he designed to sell his treasure and
perhaps to settle in Boston. but that there