The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-03
A PEARL PIRATE.
The French Buccaneer Who Made a
Remarkably Bold Capture,


Frank r. Stockton is contributing to
81. Nicholas, under the title of THE
buccaneers of Our Coast" a series OF
narrative sketches of the Spanish Main.
In the December st. Nicholas he tells
the following adventure:
one of the adventures who set out
about this time on cruise after gold
laden vessels was a Frenchman who
was known to his countrymen as Pierre
Francois, and to the English as Peter
Francis. He was good sailor and
ready for any sort of a sea fight. but
for a long time he cruised about with
out seeing anything which 1t was worth
While to attempt to capture. At last,
when his provisions began to give out
and his men to become somewhat dis
contented, Pierre made up his mind
that, rather than return to Tortuga
empty handed, he would make a bold
and novel stroke for fortune.
AT the mouth of one of the large
rivers of the mainland the Spaniards
had established a pearl fishery-for
there was no kind of wealth or treas
ure, on the land under ground, or at
the bottom of the sea, that the Span
iards did not get if it were possible.
Every year, at the proper season. a
dozen or more vessels came to this
pearl bank, attended by q man-Of-war,
to protect them from molestation.
Pierre knew all about this. and, as he
could not find any Spanish merchant
men to rob, he thought he would go
down and see what he could do with
the pearl fishers. This was something
the buccaneers had not yet attempted;
but no one knows what he can do until
he tries, and it was very necessary that
this buccaneer captain should try some
thing Immediately
when he reached the coast near the
mouth of the river he took the masts
out of his little vessel and rowed quiet
ly toward the pearl-fishing fleet, as if
he had intended to join them on some
entirely peaceable errand; and, in fact,
there was no reason whatever why the
Spaniards should suppose that a boat
full of buccaneers should be rowing
along that part of the coast
1.-The pearl fishing vessels were all at
anchor, and the people on board were
quietly attending to their business. Out
to sea, some distance from the mouth
of the river, the man-of-war was lying
becalmed. The native divers who went
down to the bottom of the sea TO bring
up the shell fish which contained the
pearls, plunged into the water, and
came up wet and shining in the sun,
with no fear whatever of any sharks
which might be swimming about in
search Of a dinner; and the people on
the vessels opened the oysters and care
fully searched for pearls, feeling as safe
from harm as If they were picking
olives in their native groves.
"But something worse than a shark
was quietly making it's way ov those
Tranquil waters, and no banditti who
ever descended from Spanish mountains
upon the quiet peasants of a village
equaled in ferocity the savage fellows
who were crouching in the little boat
belonging to Pierre, of Tortuga.
This. innocent looking craft, which
the pearl fishers probably thought was
loaded with fruit or vegetables that
somebody from the mainland desired to
sell was permitted, without being chal-
lenged or interfered with. to row up
alongside the largest vessel Of the feet.
on which there were some armed men
and a few cannon.
"As soon as Pierre's boats touched
the Spanish vessel, the buccaneers
sprang on board with their pistols and
cutlasses, and a savage fight began.
The Spaniards were surprised; but
there were a great many more Of them
than there were pirates, and they
fought hard. However, the man who
makes the attack and who is at the
same time desperate and hungry has a
great advantage, and it was not long
before the buccaneers were masters Of
the vessel. Those of the Standards who
were not killed were force into the SER
vice of their captives and Pierre found
himself in command of a very good
vessel"