tures of many of the buccaneers with
whom he became acquainted.

He remained with the pirates for several years, and during that time
worked very industriously getting material together for his history.
When he returned to his own country in 1672, having done as much
literary work as was possible among the uncivilized surroundings of
Tortuga, he there completed a book, which he called, "The Buccaneers of
America, or The True Account of the Most Remarkable Assaults Committed
of Late Years Upon the Coasts of the West Indies by the Buccaneers,
etc., by John Esquemeling, One of the Buccaneers, Who Was Present at
Those Tragedies."

From this title it is probable that our literary pirate accompanied his
comrades on their various voyages and assaults, in the capacity of
reporter, and although he states he was present at many of "those
tragedies," he makes no reference to any deeds of valor or cruelty
performed by himself, which shows him to have been a wonderfully
conscientious historian. There are persons, however, who doubt his
impartiality, because, as he liked the French, he always gave the
pirates of that nationality the credit for most of the bravery displayed
on their expeditions, and all of the magnanimity and courtesy, if there
happened to be any, while the surliness, brutality, and extraordinary
wickednesses were all ascribed to the English. But be this as it may,
Esquemeling's history was a great success. It was written in Dutch and
was afterwards translated into English, French, and Spanish. It
contained a great deal of information regarding buccaneering in general,
and most of the stories of pirates which we have already told, and many
of the surprising narrations which are to come, have been taken from the
book of this buccaneer historian.

Chapter X

The Story of Roc, the Brazilian

Having given the history of a very plain and quiet buccaneer, who was a
reporter and writer, and who, if he were now living, would be eligible
as a member of an Authors' Club, we will pass to the consideration of a
regular out-and-out pirate, one from whose mast-head would have floated
the black flag with its skull and cross-bones if that emblematic piece
of bunting had been in use by the pirates of the period.

This famous buccaneer was called Roc, because he had to have a name, and
his own was unknown, and "the Brazilian," because he was born in Brazil,
though of Dutch parents. Unlike most of his fellow-practitioners