in this very voyage. Gow was a man of temper, and notwithstanding all
the ill-language Williams gave him, said little or nothing but by way of
argument against attacking the French ship, which would certainly have
been too strong for them; but this provoked Williams the more, and he
grew so extraordinary an height, that he demanded boldly of Gow to give
his orders for fighting, which Gow declining still Williams presented
his pistol at him, and snapped it, but it did not go off, which enraged
him the more.

Winter and Peterson standing nearest to Williams, and seeing him so
furious, flew at him immediately, and each of them fired a pistol at
him. One shot him through the arm, and the other into his belly, at
which he fell, and the men about him laid hold of him to throw him
overboard, believing he was dead; but as they lifted him up, he started
violently out of their hands, and leaped directly into the hold, and
from thence ran desperately into the powder-room with his pistol cocked
in his hand, swearing he would blow them all up. He had certainly done
it, if they had not seized him just as he had gotten the scuttle open,
and was that moment going to put his hellish resolution into practice.

Having thus secured the distracted, raving creature, they carried him
forward to the place which they had made on purpose between decks to
secure their prisoners, and put him amongst them, having first loaded
him with irons, and particularly handcuffed him with his hands behind
him, to the great satisfaction of the other prisoners, who knowing what
a butcherly furious fellow he was, were terrified to the last degree to
see him come in among them, until they beheld the condition he came in.
He was, indeed, the terror of all the prisoners, for he usually treated
them in a barbarous manner, without the least provocation, and merely
for his humour, presenting pistols to their breasts, swearing he would
shoot them that moment, and then would beat them unmercifully, and all
for his diversion as he called it. Having thus laid him fast, they
presently resolved to stand away to the westward, by which they quitted
the Martinico ship, who by that time was come nearer to them, and
farther convinced them they were in no condition to have engaged her,
for she was a stout ship and full of men.

All this happened just the day before they shared their last prize among
the prisoners, in which they put on such a mock face of doing justice to
the s