This was an ugly turn upon him, his greatest dependence being upon his mother; however, his wife was kinder to him than he deserved, for she made him a yearly allowance out of what was left, though they continued to live separate: it lasted near five years; at this time having a great affection for the girl he had by his maid, he had a mind to take it home, to live with him; but as all the town knew it to be a girl, the better to disguise the matter from them, as well as from his wife, he had it put into breeches, as a boy, pretending it was a relation’s child he was to breed up to be his clerk.
The wife heard he had a little boy at home he was very fond of, but as she did not know any relation of his that had such a child, she employ’d a friend to enquire further into it; this person by talking with the child, found it to be a girl, discovered that the servant-maid was its mother, and that the husband still kept up his correspondence with her.
Upon this intelligence, the wife being unwilling that her children’s money should go towards the maintenance of bastards, stopped the allowance: the husband enraged, in a kind of revenge, takes the maid home, and lives with her publicly, to the great scandal of his neighbours; but he soon found the bad effect of it, for by degrees lost his practice, so that he saw plainly he could not live there, therefore he thought of removing, and turning what effects he had into ready money; he goes to Cork, and there with his maid and daughter embarks for Carolina.
At first he followed the practice of the law in that province, but afterwards fell into merchandise, which proved more successful to him, for he gained by it sufficient to purchase a considerable plantation: his maid, who passed for his wife, happened to die, after which his daughter, our Anne Bonny, now grown up, kept his house.
She was of a fierce and courageous temper, wherefore, when she lay under condemnation, several stories were reported of her, much to her disadvantage, as that she had kill’d an English servant-maid once in her passion with a case-knife, while she look’d after her father’s house; but upon further enquiry, I found this story to be groundless: it was certain she was so robust, that once, when a young fellow would have lain with her, against her will, she beat him so, that he lay ill of it a considerable time.
While she lived with her father, she was look’d upon as one that would be a good fortune, wherefore it was thought her father expected a good match for her; but she spoilt all, for without his consent, she marries a young fellow, who belonged to the sea, and was not worth a groat; which provoked her father to such a degree, that he turned her out of doors, upon which the young fellow, who married her, finding himself disappointed in his expectation, shipped himself and wife, for the island of Providence, expecting employment there.
Here she became acquainted with Rackam the pirate, who making courtship to her, soon found means of withdrawing her affections from her husband, so that she consented to elope from him, and go to sea with Rackam in men’s clothes: she was as good as her word, and after she had been at sea some time, she proved with child, and beginning to grow big, Rackam landed her on the island of Cuba; and recommending her there to some friends of his, they took care of her, till she was brought to bed: when she was up and well again, he sent for her to bear him company.
The King’s proclamation being out, for pardoning of pirates, he took the benefit of it, and surrendered; afterwards being sent upon the privateering account, he returned to his old trade, as has been already hinted in the story of Mary Read. In all these expeditions, Anne Bonny bore him company, and when any business was to be done in their way, nobody was more forward or courageous than she, and particularly when they were taken; she and Mary Read, with one more, were all the persons that durst keep the deck, as has been before hinted.
Her father was known to a great many gentlemen, planters of Jamaica, who had dealt with him, and among whom he had a good reputation; and some of them, who had been in Carolina, remember’d to have seen her in his house; wherefore they were inclined to show her favour, but the action of leaving her husband was an ugly circumstance against her. The day that Rackam was executed, by special favour, he was admitted to see her; but all the comfort she gave him, was, that she was sorry to see him there, but if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hang’d like a dog.
She was continued in prison, to the time of her lying in, and afterwards reprieved from time to time; but what is become of her since, we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed.
VIII
Of Captain Howel Davis, and His Crew
Captain Howel Davis was born at Milford, in Monmouthshire, and was from a boy brought up to the sea. The last voyage he made from England, was in the Cadogan snow of Bristol, Captain Skinner Commander, bound for the coast of Guinea, of which snow Davis was chief mate: they were no sooner arrived at Sierra Leone on the aforesaid coast, but they were taken by the pirate England, who plunder’d them, and Skinner was barbarously murdered, as has been related before in the story of Captain England.
After the death of Captain Skinner, Davis pretended that he was mightily solicited by England
