rrived on the west side of Africa
disguised as an English man-of-war, and sailing up and down the coast of
Sierra Leone captured or destroyed within several weeks seventeen ships,
Dutch and English, robbing them of gold-dust and negroes.[430] The
pirates then quarrelled over the division of their plunder and separated
into two companies, most of the English following a Captain Morgan in
one of the prizes, and the rest returning in "La Trompeuse" to the West
Indies. The latter arrived at Dominica in July, where forty of the crew
deserted the ship, leaving but sixteen white men and twenty-two negroes
on board. Finally on the 27th the pirates dropped anchor at St. Thomas.
They were admitted and kindly received by the governor, and allowed to
bring their plunder ashore.[431] Three days later Captain Carlile of
H.M.S. "Francis," who had been sent out by Governor Stapleton to hunt
for pirates, sailed into the harbour, and on being assured by the pilot
and by an English sloop lying at anchor there that the ship before him
was the pirate "La Trompeuse," in the night of the following day he set
her on fire and blew her up. Hamlin and some of the crew were on board,
but after firing a few shots, escaped to the shore. The pirate ship
carried thirty-two guns, and if she had not been under-manned Carlile
might have encountered a formidable resistance. The Governor of St.
Thomas sent a note of protest to Carlile for having, as he said,
secretly set fire to a frigate which had been confiscated to the King of
Denmark.[432] Nevertheless he sent Hamlin and his men for safety in a
boat to another part of the island, and later selling him a sloop, let
him sail away to join the French buccaneers in Hispaniola.[433]

The Danish governor of St. Thomas, whose name was Adolf Esmit, had
formerly been himself a privateer, and had used his popularity on the
island to eject from authority his brother Nicholas Esmit, the lawful
governor. By protecting and encouraging pirates--for a consideration, of
course--he proved a bad neighbour to the surrounding English islands.
Although he had but 300 or 350 people on St. Thomas, and most of these
British subjects, he laid claim to all the Virgin Islands, harboured
runaway servants, seamen and debtors, fitted out pirate vessels with
arms and provisions, and refused to restore captured ships and crews
which the pirates brought into his port.[434] The King of Denmark had
sent out a new governor, named Everson, t