Clifford and
two others who turned Queen's evidence.

CLINTON, CAPTAIN.

One of the notorious sixteenth century pirates "who grew famous until
Queene Elizabeth of blessed memory, hanged them at Wapping."

COBHAM, CAPTAIN.

Of Poole in Dorsetshire.

At the age of 18 he took to smuggling. His biographer tells us that even
at this comparatively early age Cobham "was cautious and prudent, and
though he intrigued with the ladies, he managed to keep it secret." Cobham
was very successful as a smuggler, on one occasion landing a cargo of ten
thousand gallons of brandy at Poole. But a little later on his vessel was
captured by a King's cutter. This annoyed the young captain, and he bought
a cutter at Bridport, mounted fourteen guns in her, and turned pirate.
Out of his very first prize, an Indiaman, which he boarded off the Mersey,
he took a sum of L40,000, and then scuttled the ship and drowned the crew.

Cobham, calling in at Plymouth, met a damsel called Maria, whom he took on
board with him, which at first caused some murmuring amongst his crew, who
were jealous because they themselves were not able to take lady companions
with them on their voyages, for, as the same biographer sagely remarks,
"where a man is married the case is altered, no man envies him his
happiness; but where he only keeps a girl, every man says, 'I have as much
right to one as he has.'" Nevertheless, Maria proved herself a great
success, for when any member of the crew was to be punished Maria would
use her influence with the captain to get him excused or his punishment
lessened, thus winning the affection of all on board. The English Channel
becoming too dangerous for Cobham, he sailed across the Atlantic and lay
in wait for vessels between Cape Breton and Prince Edward Isle, and took
several prizes. In one of these he placed all the crew in sacks and threw
them into the sea. Maria, too, took her part in these affairs, and once
stabbed to the heart, with her own little dirk, the captain of a Liverpool
brig, the _Lion_, and on another occasion, to indulge her whim, a captain
and his two mates were tied up to the windlass while Maria shot them with
her pistol. Maria always wore naval uniform, both at sea and when in port;
in fact, she entered thoroughly into the spirit of the enterprise.

Cobham now wished to retire from the sea, but Maria urged him to further
efforts, as she had set her heart on his buying her a beautiful place in
England ca