low instead of above it. Observing the American
stripes going up first, the 'Shannon's' people reopened their fire, and,
directing their guns with their accustomed precision at the lower part
of the 'Chesapeake's' mizzen mast, killed Lieutenant Watt and four or
five of their comrades. Before the flags had got halfway to the mizzen
peak, they were pulled down and hoisted properly, and the men of the
'Shannon' ceased their fire.

An unexpected fire of musketry, opened by the Americans who had fled to
the hold, killed a fine young marine, William Young. On this, Lieutenant
Falkiner ordered three or four muskets that were ready to be fired down
the hold, and Captain Broke, from the quarter-deck, told the lieutenant
to summon. The Americans replied, 'We surrender'; and all hostilities
ceased. Almost immediately after Captain Broke's senses failed him from
loss of blood, and he was conveyed on board his own ship.

Between the discharge of the first gun and the time of Captain Broke's
boarding only eleven minutes had passed, and in four minutes more the
'Chesapeake' was completely his. As a rule, however, this good fortune
did not attend our arms in the conflict with the American marine.

_CAPTAIN SNELGRAVE AND THE PIRATES_

IN the year 1719, I, being appointed commander of the 'Bird' galley,
arrived at the River Sierra Leone, on the north coast of Guinea. There
were, at the time of our unfortunate arrival in that river, three pirate
ships, who had then taken ten English ships in that place. The first of
these was the 'Rising Sun,' one Cochlyn commander, who had not with him
above twenty-five men; the second was a brigantine commanded by one Le
Bouse, a Frenchman, whose crew had formerly served with Cochlyn's under
the pirate Moody; the third was a large ship commanded by Captain Davis,
with a crew of near one hundred and fifty men. This Davis was a generous
man, nor had he agreed to join with the others when I was taken by
Cochlyn; which proved a great misfortune to me, for I found Cochlyn and
his crew to be a set of the basest and most cruel villains that ever
were.

I come now to give an account of how I was taken by them. It becoming
calm about seven o'clock, and growing dark, we anchored in the river's
mouth, soon after which I went to supper with the officers that usually
ate with me. About eight o'clock the officer of the watch upon deck sent
me word, 'He heard the rowing of a boat.' Whereupon we all immedia