of
those who endeavored to swim on shore. They next plundered the Spanish
vessel, restored the English masters to their respective vessels, and
set the Spaniard on fire.

Low's next cruise was between the Leeward Islands and the main land,
where, in a continued course of prosperity, he successively captured no
less than nineteen ships of different sizes, and in general treated
their crews with a barbarity unequalled even among pirates. But it
happened that the Greyhound, of twenty guns and one hundred and twenty
men, was cruising upon that coast. Informed of the mischief these
miscreants had done, the Greyhound went in search of them. Supposing
they had discovered a prize, Low and his crew pursued them, and the
Greyhound, allowing them to run after her until all things were ready
to engage, turned upon the two sloops.

One of these sloops was called the Fancy, and commanded by Low himself,
and the other the Ranger, commanded by Harris; both hoisted their
piratical colors, and fired each a gun. When the Greyhound came within
musket shot, she hauled up her mainsail, and clapped close upon a wind,
to keep the pirates from running to leeward, and then engaged. But when
the rogues found whom they had to deal with, they edged away under the
man-of-war's stern, and the Greyhound standing after them, they made a
running fight for about two hours; but little wind happening, the sloops
gained from her, by the help of their oars; upon which the Greyhound
left off firing, turned all hands to her own oars, and at three in the
afternoon came up with them. The pirates hauled upon a wind to receive
the man-of-war, and the fight was immediately renewed, with a brisk fire
on both sides, till the Ranger's mainyard was shot down. Under these
circumstances, Low abandoned her to the enemy, and fled.

The conduct of Low was surprising in this adventure, because his reputed
courage and boldness had hitherto so possessed the minds of all people,
that he became a terror even to his own men; but his behaviour
throughout this whole action showed him to be a base cowardly villain;
for had Low's sloop fought half so briskly as Harris' had done (as they
were under a solemn oath to do,) the man-of-war, in the opinion of some
present, could never have hurt them.

Nothing, however, could lessen the fury, or reform the manners, of that
obdurate crew. Their narrow escape had no good effect upon them, and
with redoubled violence they renewed their depr