Chapter I: Front Matter

THE BOYS’ BOOK OF BUCCANEERS

BY

A. HYATT VERRILL

AUTHOR OF
“AN AMERICAN CRUSOE,” “THE BOYS’ OUTDOOR
VACATION BOOK,” “THE BOYS’ BOOK OF WHALERS,” ETC.

ILLUSTRATED

NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1923

Copyright, 1923,
By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY
The Quinn & Boden Company

BOOK MANUFACTURERS
RAHWAY NEW JERSEY

CONTENTS

PAGE

Chapter I Who and What Were the Buccaneers? 1

Pirates and buccaneers. How the buccaneers originated. The first
buccaneers. Settlement of Tortuga. How the buccaneers received
their name. How the first prizes were taken. Originators of
accident insurance. Pieces of eight and the origin of the dollar.
Organization of the buccaneers.

Chapter II Some Buccaneers and Their Ways 14

Pierre le Grand, the first famous buccaneer. How Le Grand took the
admiral’s ship. Esquemeling and his chronicles. Bartholomew
Portugues and his deeds. A remarkable escape. Rock Brasiliano. A
brutal buccaneer. Brasiliano’s ruse. Francis L’Ollonois the cruel.
The most bloodthirsty buccaneer. Cruelties of L’Ollonois. How
L’Ollonois took Maracaibo. The death of L’Ollonois.

Chapter III Morgan and His Road to Fame 39

Bravery of Spaniards. Attitude of the buccaneers. Early life of
Morgan. The truth about Morgan. Queer character of Morgan.
Treatment of prisoners. Buccaneers and Indians. Port Royal, the
lair of the buccaneers. Attack on Old Providence. Morgan’s first
raids. Morgan’s attack on Puerto Príncipe. The buccaneers in Cuba.
Morgan prepares to attack Porto Bello. The Gold Road. Capture of
Porto Bello. Morgan’s brutality. An exchange of pleasantries.

Chapter IV The Sacking of Maracaibo 64

Morgan gathers a great fleet. Morgan’s treachery. Morgan’s narrow
escape from destruction. Tortures and butcheries. Morgan is
blockaded. The buccaneers defeat the Spanish fleet. Morgan’s ruse.
The buccaneers escape from Maracaibo.

Chapter V The Taking of San Lorenzo 81

Morgan’s greatest undertaking. The buccaneers’ greatest fleet. The
capture of St. Catherine. The governor’s treachery. The buccaneers
sail for the Chagres. Attack on San Lorenzo. The battle. How
accident won the day. Valiant Spaniards. Capture of the castle. The
buccaneers start for Panama. Hardships of the journey. In sight of
Panama.

Chapter VI The Sack of Panama 100

The Jolly Roger. Buccaneers’ standards. How the buccaneers dressed.
The battle before Old Panama. The buccaneers take the city.
Morgan’s fury. Burning of Panama. Looting and torturing. Morgan’s
vengeance. Morgan demands ransoms. Morgan’s gallantry. The return
to the coast. Division of booty. Morgan deserts his men.

Chapter VII The Misfortunes of Monsieur Ogeron 119

The golden altar of San José. Arrest of Morgan. Morgan knighted.
The ex-buccaneer suppresses piracy. The end of Sir Henry Morgan.
Ogeron sails for Curaçao. The buccaneers come to grief. How Ogeron
escaped. Ogeron returns to Puerto Rico. Defeat of the buccaneers.
Le Sieur Maintenon and his misfortunes. Odd characters among the
buccaneers. The buccaneer poet. A buccaneer naturalist. The
divinity student who was a buccaneer. Ringrose the navigator.

Chapter VIII A Perilous Undertaking 133

A mad scheme. The plan of Sharp and his fellows. The buccaneers
start across Darien. A terrible journey. Aid from the Indians. The
buccaneers sight El Real de Santa Maria. Attack on the town. The
buccaneers’ chagrin. The buccaneers go on towards Panama. Humanity
wins its reward. In sight of the town. The Spanish fleet. A daring
attempt. How the buccaneers took the Spanish fleet. Capture of the
Santissima Trinidad. Valuable prizes. Dissensions and desertions.
Trading with the Dons. Messages from the governor. Sawkins
remembers an old friend. Loss of Captain Sawkins.

Chapter IX The “Most Dangerous Voyage” of Captain Sharp 150

More desertions. Captain Sharp tells his plans. An amazing program.
An awful trip. What happened to Wafer. The transformed galleon
starts on its cruise. Raids on the coast. At Juan Fernandez. The
men want religion. Sharp is deposed. Watling and his ways. Sharp’s
prophecy. The prophecy fulfilled. Watling’s death. Sharp takes
command. The buccaneers repulsed. Mutinies and deserters. Sharp
refits the Blessed Trinity. The buccaneers set forth on their most
dangerous voyage. The buccaneers miss the Straits of Magellan.
Around the Horn through unchartered seas. Up the Atlantic. At the
journey’s end. The treasure the buccaneers threw away.

Chapter X The Last of the Buccaneers 174

The buccaneers in the South Sea. The cruise of the Revenge. The
Bachelors’ Delight. Davis and his raids. The cruise of the Cygnet.
Reunion of old friends. The buccaneers are disappointed. Swan’s
defeat. Ringrose’s death. Across the Pacific. The buccaneers in
Madagascar. Townley takes vast treasure. The end of Townley. The
sack of Guayaquil. Back to the Antilles. Buccaneers in the East
Indies. Red Legs. A moral pirate. Red Legs’ chivalry. The penalty
of a scolding wife. Major Stede Bonnet. An unfortunate pirate. End
of Bonnet. The pirates in the Virgin Islands. Hamlin at St. Thomas.

Chapter XI Kidd, the Pirate Who Wasn’t a Pirate 192

Pirate treasure in fact and fancy. The truth about pirate treasure.
Kidd’s unfounded fame. The true story of Captain Kidd. Trial of
Captain Kidd. Death of Captain Kidd. A Don Quixote of the sea.
Prince Rupert of the Rhine. A romantic figure. Shipwreck of Prince
Rupert’s fleet. The death of Prince Rupert.

Chapter XII Picturesque Pirates 208

The “Man with the glove in his hat.” My Lord, the Earl of
Cumberland. The cruise of The Scourge of Malice. The Earl’s attack
on Puerto Rico. The English take San Juan. The unseen foe. A losing
battle. The Earl retreats. The most famous real pirate. Blackbeard.
A monster in human form. Blackbeard’s courage. Blackbeard’s ways.
Blackbeard’s castle. Origin of Blackbeard. How Blackbeard became a
pirate. Blackbeard’s appearance. How Blackbeard amused his men. A
pirate’s joke. A much-married pirate.