| John Leadstone, | Three Boats and Pirogue. |
| His Man Tom, | |
| His Man John Brown, | |
| Alexander Middleton, | One Longboat, |
| His Man Charles Hawkins. | |
| John Pierce, | Partners, One Longboat. |
| William Mead, | |
| Their Man John Vernon. | |
| David Chatmers, | One Longboat. |
| John Chatmers, | One Longboat. |
| Richard Richardson, | One Longboat. |
| Norton, | Partners, two Longboats, and two small Boats. |
| Richard Warren, | |
| Roberts Glynn, | |
| His Man John Franks. | |
| William Waits, and One Young Man. | |
| John Bonnerman. | |
| John England, | One Longboat. |
| Robert Samples, | One Longboat. |
| William Presgrove | One Sloop, Two Longboats, a Small Boat, and Pirogue. |
| Harry, | |
| Davis, | |
| Mitchell, | |
| Richard Lamb, | |
| With Roquis Rodrigus, a Portuguese. | |
| George Bishop. | |
| Peter Brown. | |
| John Jones, | One Longboat, |
| His Irish Young Man. | |
| At Rio Pongo, Benjamin Gun. | |
| At Kidham, George Yeats. | |
| At Gallyneas, Richard Lemmons. | |
The harbour is so convenient for wooding and watering, that it occasions many of our trading ships, especially those of Bristol, to call in there, with large cargoes of beer, cider, and strong liquors, which they exchange with these private traders, for slaves and teeth, purchased by them at the Rio Nune’s, and other places to the northward, so that here was what they call good living.
Hither Roberts came the end of , and had intelligence that the Swallow, and Weymouth, two men-of-war, of 50 guns each, had left that river about a month before, and designed to return about ; so that the pirates could indulge themselves with all the satisfaction in the world, in that they knew they were not only secure whilst there, but that in going down the coast, after the men-of-war, they should always be able to get such intelligence of their rendezvous, as would serve to make their expedition safe. So after six weeks stay, the ships being cleaned and fitted, and the men weary of whoring and drinking, they bethought themselves of business, and went to sea the beginning of , taking their progress down the whole coast, as low as Jaquin, plundering every ship they met, of what was valuable in her, and sometimes to be more mischieviously wicked, would throw what they did not want, overboard, accumulating cruelty to theft.
In this range, they exchanged their old French ship, for a fine frigate built ship, call’d the Onslow, belonging to the Royal African Company, Captain Gee Commander, which happened to lie at Sestos, to get water and necessaries for the Company. A great many of Captain Gee’s men were ashore, when Robert’s bore down, and so the ship consequently surpriz’d into his hands, though had they been all on board, it was not likely the case would have been otherwise, the sailors, most of them, voluntarily joining the pirates, and encouraging the same disposition in the soldiers, (who were going passengers with them to Cape Corso Castle) whose ears being constantly tickled with the feats and gallantry of those fellows, made them fancy, that to go, was only being bound on a voyage of knight errantry (to relieve the distress’d, and gather up fame) and so they likewise offer’d themselves; but here the pirates were at a stand, they entertain’d so contemptible a notion of landmen, that they put ’em off with refusals for some time, till at length, being weary’d with solicitations, and pitying a parcel of stout fellows, which they said, were going to starve upon a little canky and plantain, they accepted of them, and allow’d them ¼ share, as it was then term’d out of charity.
There was a clergyman on board the Onslow, sent from England, to be chaplain of Cape Corso Castle, some of the pirates were for keeping him, alleging merrily, that their ship wanted a chaplain; accordingly they offered him a share, to take on with them, promising, he should do nothing for his money, but make punch, and say prayers; yet, however brutish they might be in other things, they bore so great a respect to his order, that they resolved not to force him against his inclinations; and the parson having no relish for this sort of life, excused himself from accepting the honour they designed him; they were satisfied, and generous enough to deliver him back everything he owned to be his: the parson laid hold of this favourable disposition of the pirates, and laid claim to several things belonging to others, which were also given up, to his great satisfaction; in fine, they kept nothing which belonged to the church, except three prayerbooks, and a bottle-screw.
The pirates kept the Onslow for their own use, and gave Captain Gee the French ship, and then fell to making such alterations as might fit her for a sea-rover, pulling down her bulkheads, and making her flush, so that she became, in all respects, as complete a ship for their purpose, as any they could have found; they continued to her the name of the Royal Fortune, and mounted her with 40 guns.
She and the Ranger proceeded (as I said before,) to Jaquin, and from thence to Old Calabar, where they arrived about , in order to clean their ships, a place the most suitable along the whole coast, for there is a bar with not above 15 foot water upon it, and the channel intricate, so that had the men-of-war been sure of their being harbour’d here, they might still have bid defiance to their strength, for the depth of water at the bar, as well as the want of a pilot, was a sufficient security to the rovers, and invincible impediments to them. Here therefore they sat easy, and divided the fruits of their dishonest industry, and drank and drove care away. The pilot who brought them into this harbour, was Captain L⸺e, who for this, and other services, was extremely well paid, according to the journal of their own accounts, which do not run in the ordinary and common way, of debtor, contra creditor, but much more concise, lumping it to their friends, and
