in 1704, and hanged on Charles River, Boston Side,
on June 30th. A report of the trial and execution of these pirates,
describing Scudamore's conduct on the gallows, says: "He appeared very
Penitent since his Condemnation, was very diligent to improve his time
going to, and at the place of Execution."

SCUDAMORE, PETER.

Belonging to Bristol.

Surgeon in the _Mercy_ galley, and taken by Captain Roberts in 1721. It
was a rule on all pirate vessels for the surgeon to be excused from
signing the ship's articles. When the next prize was taken, if she carried
a surgeon, he was taken in place of their present one, if the latter
wished to leave. But when Scudamore came on board the _Royal Fortune_ he
insisted on signing the pirate articles and boasted that he was the first
surgeon that had ever done so, and he hoped, he said, to prove as great a
rogue as any of them.

When the African Company's Guinea ship, the _King Solomon_, was taken,
Scudamore came aboard and helped himself to their surgeon's instruments
and medicines. He also took a fancy for a backgammon board, but only kept
it after a violent quarrel with another pirate. It came out at his trial
that on a voyage from the Island of St. Thomas, in a prize, the _Fortune_,
in which was a cargo of slaves, Scudamore had tried to bring about a
mutiny of the blacks to kill the prize crew which was on board, and he was
detected in the night going about amongst the negroes, talking to them in
the Angolan language. He said that he knew enough about navigation to sail
the ship himself, and he was heard to say that "this were better than to
be taken to Cape Corso to be hanged and sun dried."

The same witness told how he had approached the prisoner when he was
trying to persuade a wounded pirate, one James Harris, to join him in his
scheme, but fearing to be overheard, Scudamore turned the conversation to
horse-racing.

Scudamore was condemned to death, but allowed three days' grace before
being hanged, which he spent in incessant prayers and reading of the
Scriptures. On the gallows he sang, solo, the Thirty-first Psalm. Died at
the age of 35.

SEARLES, CAPTAIN ROBERT.

In 1664 he brought in two Spanish prizes to Port Royal, but as orders had
only lately come from England to the Governor to do all in his power to
promote friendly relations with the Spanish islands, these prizes were
returned to their owners. To prevent Searle's doing such things again, he
was deprived