and flour; aboard of this sloop went all
the hands who were for breaking the gang, and left those behind that had
a mind to pursue further adventures. Among the former was Kennedy, their
captain, of whose honor they had such a despicable notion that they were
about to throw him overboard when they found him in the sloop, as
fearing he might betray them all at their return to England; he having
in his childhood been bred a pick-pocket, and before he became a pirate
a house-breaker; both professions that these gentlemen have a very mean
opinion of. However, Captain Kennedy, by taking solemn oaths of fidelity
to his companions, was suffered to proceed with them.

In this company there was but one that pretended to any skill in
navigation (for Kennedy could neither write nor read, he being preferred
to the command merely for his courage, which indeed he had often
signalized, particularly in taking the Portuguese ship), and he proved
to be a pretender only; for, shaping their course to Ireland, where they
agreed to land, they ran away to the north-west coast of Scotland, and
there were tossed about by hard storms of wind for several days without
knowing where they were, and in great danger of perishing. At length
they pushed the vessel into a little creek and went all ashore, leaving
the sloop at an anchor for the next comers.

The whole company refreshed themselves at a little village about five
miles from the place where they left the sloop, and passed there for
shipwrecked sailors, and no doubt might have travelled on without
suspicion, but the mad and riotous manner of their living on the road
occasioned their journey to be cut short, as we shall observe presently.

Kennedy and another left them here, and, travelling to one of the
seaports, shipped themselves for Ireland, and arrived there in safety.
Six or seven wisely withdrew from the rest, travelled at their leisure,
and got to their much-desired port of London without being disturbed or
suspected, but the main gang alarmed the country wherever they came,
drinking and roaring at such a rate that the people shut themselves up
in their houses, in some places not daring to venture out among so many
mad fellows. In other villages they treated the whole town, squandering
their money away as if, like AEsop, they wanted to lighten their
burthens. This expensive manner of living procured two of their drunken
stragglers to be knocked on the head, they being found murdered in