minded nothing else, and as soon as day broke, they made a furious fire
upon the empty sloop; but it was not long before they were rightly
apprised of the matter, when they cursed themselves sufficiently for a
company of fools, to be bit out of a good rich prize, as she proved to
be, and to have nothing but an old crazy hull in the room of her.

Rackam and his crew had no occasion to be displeased at the exchange, as
it enabled them to continue some time longer in a way of life that
suited their depraved minds. In August 1720, we find him at sea again,
scouring the harbours and inlets of the north and west parts of Jamaica,
where he took several small crafts, which proved no great booty to the
rovers; but they had but few men, and therefore were obliged to run at
low game till they could increase their company and their strength.

In the beginning of September, they took seven or eight fishing boats in
Harbour Island, stole their nets and other tackle, and then went off to
the French part of Hispaniola, where they landed, and took the cattle
away, with two or three Frenchmen whom they found near the water-side,
hunting wild hogs in the evening. The Frenchmen came on board, whether
by consent or compulsion is not certainly known. They afterwards
plundered two sloops, and returned to Jamaica, on the north coast of
which island, near Porto Maria Bay, they took a schooner, Thomas
Spenlow, master, it being then the 19th of October. The next day Rackam
seeing a sloop in Dry Harbour Bay, stood in and fired a gun; the men all
ran ashore, and he took the sloop and lading; but when those ashore
found that they were pirates, they hailed the sloop, and let them know
they were all willing to come on board of them.

Rackam's coasting the island in this manner proved fatal to him; for
intelligence of his expedition came to the governor by a canoe which he
had surprised ashore in Ocho Bay: upon this a sloop was immediately
fitted out, and sent round the island in quest of him, commanded by
Captain Barnet, and manned with a good number of hands. Rackam, rounding
the island, and drawing round the western point, called Point Negril,
saw a small pettiaga, which, at the sight of the sloop, ran ashore and
landed her men, when one of them hailed her. Answer was made that they
were Englishmen, and begged the pettiaga's men to come on board and
drink a bowl of punch, which they prevailed upon them to do.
Accordingly, the company, in an evil h