which island
they took a very peaceable ship belonging to Virginia. The commander was
a Quaker, whose name was Knot; he had neither pistol, sword, nor cutlass
on board; and Mr. Knot appearing so very passive to all they said to
him, some of them thought this a good opportunity to go off; and
accordingly eight of the pirates went aboard, and he carried them safe
to Virginia. They made the Quaker a present of ten chests of sugar, ten
rolls of Brazil tobacco, thirty moidores, and some gold dust, in all to
the value of about L250. They also made presents to the sailors, some
more, some less, and lived a jovial life all the while they were upon
their voyage, Captain Knot giving them their way; nor, indeed, could he
help himself, unless he had taken an opportunity to surprise them when
they were either drunk or asleep, for awake they wore arms aboard the
ship and put him in a continual terror, it not being his principle (or
the sect's) to fight, unless with art and collusion. He managed these
weapons well till he arrived at the Capes; and afterwards four of the
pirates went off in a boat, which they had taken with them for the more
easily making their escapes, and made up the bay towards Maryland, but
were forced back by a storm into an obscure place of the country, where,
meeting with good entertainment among the planters, they continued
several days without being discovered to be pirates. In the meantime
Captain Knot, leaving four others on board his ship who intended to go
to North Carolina, made what haste he could to discover to Mr.
Spotswood, the governor, what sort of passengers he had been forced to
bring with him, who, by good fortune, got them seized; and search being
made after the others, who were revelling about the country, they were
also taken, and all tried, convicted, and hanged; two Portuguese Jews,
who were taken on the coast of Brazil and whom they brought with them to
Virginia, being the principal evidences. The latter had found means to
lodge part of their wealth with the planters, who never brought it to
account. But Captain Knot surrendered up everything that belonged to
them that were taken aboard, even what they presented to him, in lieu
of such things as they had plundered him of in their passage, and
obliged his men to do the like.

Some days after the taking of the Virginiaman last mentioned, in
cruising in the latitude of Jamaica, Kennedy took a sloop bound thither
from Boston, loaded with bread