d picture can present the awful orgies indulged in by
these social outcasts, who continued their carnage, assault, and abuse
until the last victim had succumbed. Then, directing their attention to
the ship, it was quietly dismantled, set adrift, or frequently burned to
the water's edge, allowing the hull to float about, a rudderless
derelict.

[Illustration]

One must not form the impression, however, that this reckless
lawlessness was attended with insubordination or lack of discipline. On
the contrary, they were rigorously governed by an iron hand and by the
unwritten "code of honor." A pirate entered upon "the account" (a term
meaning piracy) by taking the oath of fealty to the cause, abjuring all
social ties, pledging himself never to desert his ship or defraud his
comrades or steal anything belonging to his fellows. Having thus bound
him by an oath firm and dreadful in its malediction upon any violation
of its terms, the organization is completed by the selection of a
captain, who, usually, is the strongest, bravest, and most desperate of
them all, well calculated to keep the crew in subjection. Mutiny and the
spirit of insubordination frequently raised its ominous growl, to be
quelled only by the fearlessness of the captain and his ability to keep
his men in abject fear of his commands. It held the men in the thralls
of hypnotism, and in its efficaciousness depended the safety of the
captain and his "loyal" adherents. With some crews the title _Captain_
did not convey autocratic power nor dictatorial prerogatives, his power
to command absolutely being confined only to times of combat. A
usurpation of power frequently brought death as a deterrent to any
aspiring successor. In those cases where the captain was not recognized
as the sole ruler, each man had a vote in affairs of moment, and had an
undivided interest and title in all booty.

[Illustration]

It can readily be understood how valueless the cast-iron oath of the
pirate must be when occasion makes its rejection convenient, and thus
apparent dissatisfaction with the captain or with his commands have
frequently caused those secret plottings below decks, resulting in open
revolt or mutiny:--pirate against pirate, brute force matched against
brute force for power and supremacy. The severest punishment to a member
of the crew for thieving from a fellow-pirate was marooning--slitting
the ears and nose and depositing the offender upon some desolate island
or