d shook hands together, engaging
to proceed by joint consent in their resolved design, that is, of
turning pirates. In older to which, they unanimously chose Gow to
command the ship, promising all subjection and obedience to his orders,
so that we must now call him Captain Gow, and he, by the same consent of
the rest, named Williams his lieutenant. Other officers they appointed
afterwards.

The first orders they issued was to let all the rest of the men know
that if they continued quiet and offered not to meddle with any of their
affairs, they should receive no hurt, but chiefly forbade any man to set
a foot abaft the main mast, except they were called to the helm, upon
pain of being immediately cut to pieces, keeping for that purpose one
man at the steerage door, and one upon the quarter deck with drawn
cutlasses in their hands. But there was no need for it, for the men were
so terrified with the bloody doings they had seen, that they never
offered to come in sight until they were called.

Their next work was to throw overboard the three dead bodies of the
mate, the surgeon, and the super-cargo, which they said lay in their
way; that was soon done, their pockets being first searched and rifled.
From thence they went to work with the great cabin and with all the
lockers, chests, boxes and trunks. These they broke open and rifled,
that is, such of them as belonged to the murdered persons, and whatever
they found there they shared among themselves. When they had done this,
they called for liquor, and sat down to drinking until morning, leaving
the men, as above, to keep guard, and particularly to guard the arms,
but relieved them from time to time as they saw occasion.

By this time they had drawn in four more of the men to approve of what
they had done, and promised to join with them, so that now there were
twelve in number, and being but twenty-four at first, whereof four were
murdered, they had but eight men to be apprehensive of, and those they
could easily look after. So the next day, they sent for them all to
appear before their new captain, where they were told by Gow what his
resolution was, viz., to go a-cruising or to go upon the account. If
they were willing to join with them and go into their measures, they
should be well used, and there should be no distinction among them but
they should all fare alike; he said that they had been forced to do what
they had done by the barbarous usage of Ferneau, but that th