Captain Condent was a
Plymouth man born, but we are as yet
ignorant of the motives and time of his
first turning pirate. He was one of those
who thought fit to retire from Providence,
on Governor Rogers' arrival at that island,
in a sloop belonging to Mr. Simpson, of New
York, a Jew merchant, of which sloop he was
then quarter-master. Soon after they left
the island, an accident happened on board,
which put the whole crew into consternation.
They had among them an Indian man, whom some
of them had beaten; in revenge, he got most
of the arms forward into the hold, and
designed to blow up the sloop; upon which,
some advised scuttling the deck, and
throwing grenade shells down, but Condent
said that was too tedious and dangerous,
since the fellow might fire through the deck
and kill several of them. He, therefore,
taking a pistol in one hand, and his cutlass
in the other, leaped into the hold. The
Indian discharged a piece at him, which
broke his arm; but, however, he ran up and
shot the Indian. When he was dead, the crew
hacked him to pieces, and the gunner,
ripping up his belly and tearing out his
heart, broiled and eat it.
After this, they took a merchantman
called the Duke of York; and some disputes
arising among the pirates, the captain, and
one half of the company, went on board the
prize; the other half, who continued in the
sloop, chose Condent captain. He shaped his
course for the Cape-de Verd Islands, and in
his way took a merchant ship from Madeira,
laden with wine, and bound for the West
Indies, which he plundered and let go; then
coming to the Isle of May, one of the said
islands, he took the whole salt fleet,
consisting of about 20 sail. Wanting a boom,
he took out the mainmast of one of these
ships to supply the want. Here he took upon
himself the administration of justice,
inquiring into the manner of the commanders'
behaviour to their men, and those against
whom complaint was made, he whipped and
pickled. He took what provision and other
necessaries he wanted, and having augmented
his company by volunteers and forced men, he
left the ships and sailed to St. Jago, where
he took a Dutch ship, which had formerly
been a privateer. This proved also an easy
prize, for he fired but one broadside, and
clapping her on board, carried her without
resistance, for the captain and several men
were killed, and some wounded by his great
shot.
The ship proving for his purpose, he gave
her the name of the Flying Dragon, went on
board with his crew, and made a present of
his sloop to a mate of an English prize,
whom he had forced with him. From hence he
stood away for the coast of Brazil, and in
his cruize took several Portuguese ships,
which he plundered and let go.
After these he fell in with the Wright
galley, Capt. John Spelt, commander, hired
by the South Sea company, to go to the coast
of Angola for slaves, and thence to Buenos
Ayres. This ship he detained a considerable
time, and the captain being his townsman,
treated him very civilly. A few days after
he took Spelt, he made prize of a
Portuguese, laden with bale goods and
stores. He rigged the Wright galley anew,
and put on board of her some of the goods.
Soon after he had discharged the Portuguese,
he met with a Dutch East Indiaman of 28
guns, whose captain was killed the first
broadside, and took her with little
resistance, for he had hoisted the pirate's
colors on board Spelt's ship.
Capt. Condent leaping into the hold,
to attack the Indian.
He now, with three sail, steered for the
island of Ferdinando, where he hove down and
cleaned the Flying Dragon. Having careened,
he put 11 Dutchmen on board Capt. Spelt, to
make amends for the hands he had forced from
him, and sent him away, making him a present
of the goods he had taken from the
Portuguese ship. When he sailed himself, he
ordered the Dutch to stay at Ferdinando 24
hours after his departure; threatening, if
he did not comply, to sink his ship, if he
fell a second time into his hands, and to
put all the company to the sword. He then
stood for the coast of Brazil, where he met
a Portuguese man of war of 70 guns, which he
came up with. The Portuguese hailed him, and
he answered, from London, bound to Buenos
Ayres. The Portuguese manned his shrouds
and cheered him, when Condent fired a
broadside, and a smart engagement ensued for
the space of three glasses; but Condent
finding himself over-matched, made the best
of his way, and being the best sailer, got
off.
A few days after, he took a vessel of the
same nation, who gave an account that he had
killed above forty men in the Guarda del
Costa, beside a number wounded. He kept
along the coast to the southward, and took a
French ship of 18 guns, laden with wine and
brandy, bound for the South Sea, which he
carried with him into the River of Platte.
He sent some of his men ashore to kill some
wild cattle, but they were taken by the crew
of a Spanish man-of-war. On their
examination before the captain, they said
they were two Guinea ships, with slaves
belonging to the South Sea company, and on
this story were allowed to return to their
boats. Here five of his forced men ran away
with his canoe; he plundered the French
ship, cut her adrift, and she was stranded.
He proceeded along the Brazil coast, and
hearing a pirate ship was lost upon it, and
the pirates imprisoned, he used all the
Portuguese who fell into his hands, who were
many, very barbarously, cutting off their
ears and noses; and as his master was a
papist, when they took a priest, they made
him say mass at the mainmast, and would
afterwards get on his back and ride him
about the decks, or else load and drive him
like a beast. He from this went to the
Guinea coast, and took Capt. Hill, in the
Indian Queen.
The Pirates riding the Priests about
deck.
In Luengo Bay he saw two ships at anchor,
one a Dutchman of 44 guns, the other an
English ship, called the Fame, Capt. Bowen,
commander. They both cut and ran ashore; the
Fame was lost, but the Dutch ship the pirate
got off and took with him. When he was at
sea again, he discharged Captain Hill, and
stood away for the East Indies. Near the
Cape he took an Ostend East-Indiaman, of
which Mr. Nash, a noted merchant of London,
was supercargo. Soon after he took a Dutch
East-Indiaman, discharged the Ostender, and
made for Madagascar. At the Isle of St.
Mary, he met with some of Capt. Halsey's
crew, whom he took on board with other
stragglers, and shaped his course for the
East-Indies, and in the way, at the island
of Johanna, took, in company with two other
pirates he met at St. Mary's, the Cassandra
East-Indiaman, commanded by Capt. James
Macraigh. He continued his course for the
East-Indies, where he made a very great
booty; and returning, touched at the island
of Mascarenhas, where he met with a
Portuguese ship of 70 guns, with the viceroy
of Goa on board. This ship he made prize of,
and hearing she had money on board, they
would allow of no ransom, but carried her to
the coast of Zanguebar, where was a Dutch
fortification, which they took and
plundered, razed the fort, and carried off
several men voluntarily. From hence they
stood for St. Mary's, where they shared
their booty, broke up their company, and
settled among the natives. Here a snow came
from Bristol, which they obliged to carry a
petition to the governor of Mascarenhas for
a pardon, though they paid the master very
generously. The governor returned answer he
would take them into protection if they
would destroy their ships, which they agreed
to, and accordingly sunk the Flying Dragon,
&c. Condent and some others went to
Mascarenhas, where Condent married the
governor's sister-in-law, and remained some
time; but, as I have been credibly informed,
he is since come to France, settled at St.
Maloes, and drives a considerable trade as a
merchant. |
