In the mind of the mariner, there is a
superstitious horror connected with the name
of Pirate; and there are few subjects that
interest and excite the curiosity of mankind
generally, more than the desperate exploits,
foul doings, and diabolical career of these
monsters in human form. A piratical crew is
generally formed of the desperadoes and
runagates of every clime and nation. The
pirate, from the perilous nature of his
occupation, when not cruising on the ocean,
the great highway of nations, selects the
most lonely isles of the sea for his
retreat, or secretes himself near the shores
of rivers, bays and lagoons of thickly
wooded and uninhabited countries, so that if
pursued he can escape to the woods and
mountain glens of the interior. The islands
of the Indian Ocean, and the east and west
coasts of Africa, as well as the West
Indies, have been their haunts for
centuries; and vessels navigating the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, are often
captured by them, the passengers and crew
murdered, the money and most valuable part
of the cargo plundered, the vessel
destroyed, thus obliterating all trace of
their unhappy fate, and leaving friends and
relatives to mourn their loss from the
inclemencies of the elements, when they were
butchered in cold blood by their fellow men,
who by practically adopting the maxim that
"dead men tell no tales," enable themselves
to pursue their diabolical career with
impunity. The pirate is truly fond of women
and wine, and when not engaged in robbing,
keeps maddened with intoxicating liquors,
and passes his time in debauchery, singing
old songs with chorusses like
"Drain, drain the bowl, each fearless
soul,
Let the world
wag as it will:
Let the
heavens growl, let the devil howl,
Drain, drain
the deep bowl and fill."
Thus his hours of relaxation are passed
in wild and extravagant frolics amongst the
lofty forests of palms and spicy groves of
the Torrid Zone, and amidst the aromatic and
beautiful flowering vegetable productions of
that region. He has fruits delicious to
taste, and as companions, the
unsophisticated daughters of Africa and the
Indies. It would be supposed that his wild
career would be one of delight.
But the apprehension and foreboding of
the mind, when under the influence of
remorse, are powerful, and every man,
whether civilized or savage, has interwoven
in his constitution a moral sense, which
secretly condemns him when he has committed
an atrocious action, even when he is placed
in situations which raise him above the fear
of human punishment, for
"Conscience, the torturer of the soul,
unseen.
Does fiercely
brandish a sharp scourge within;
Severe
decrees may keep our tongues in awe,
But to our
minds what edicts can give law?
Even you
yourself to your own breast shall tell
Your crimes,
and your own conscience be your hell."
With the name of pirate is also
associated ideas of rich plunder, caskets of
buried jewels, chests of gold ingots, bags
of outlandish coins, secreted in lonely, out
of the way places, or buried about the wild
shores of rivers, and unexplored sea coasts,
near rocks and trees bearing mysterious
marks, indicating where the treasure was
hid. And as it is his invariable practice to
secrete and bury his booty, and from the
perilous life he leads, being often killed
or captured, he can never re-visit the spot
again; immense sums remain buried in those
places, and are irrecoverably lost. Search
is often made by persons who labor in
anticipation of throwing up with their spade
and pickaxe, gold bars, diamond crosses
sparkling amongst the dirt, bags of golden
doubloons, and chests, wedged close with
moidores, ducats and pearls; but although
great treasures lie hid in this way, it
seldom happens that any is so recovered. |
