them,
promising them his friendship and assistance, and Culliford in his turn
came on board of Kid; and Kid, to testify his sincerity in iniquity,
finding Culliford in want of some necessaries, made him a present of an
anchor and some guns, to fit him out for the sea again.

The _Adventure_ galley was now so old and leaky that they were forced to
keep two pumps continually going, wherefore Kid shifted all the guns and
tackle out of her into the _Queda_, merchant, intending her for his
man-of-war; and as he had divided the money before, he now made a
division of the remainder of the cargo. Soon after which the greatest
part of the company left him, some going on board Captain Culliford, and
others absconding in the country, so that he had not above forty men
left.

He put to sea and happened to touch at Amboyna, one of the Dutch spice
islands, where he was told that the news of his actions had reached
England, and that he was there declared a pirate.

The truth of it is, his piracies so alarmed our merchants that some
motions were made in Parliament, to inquire into the commission that was
given him, and the persons who fitted him out. These proceedings seemed
to lean a little hard upon the Lord Bellamont, who thought himself so
much touched thereby that he published a justification of himself in a
pamphlet after Kid's execution. In the meantime it was thought
advisable, in order to stop the course of these piracies, to publish a
proclamation, offering the king's free pardon to all such pirates as
should voluntarily surrender themselves, whatever piracies they had been
guilty of at any time, before the last day of April, 1699. That is to
say, for all piracies committed eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, to
the longitude and meridian of Socatora and Cape Camorin. In which
proclamation Avery[12] and Kid were excepted by name.

When Kid left Amboyna he knew nothing of this proclamation, for
certainly had he had notice of his being excepted in it he would not
have been so infatuated to run himself into the very jaws of danger; but
relying upon his interest with the Lord Bellamont, and fancying that a
French pass or two he found on board some of the ships he took would
serve to countenance the matter, and that part of the booty he got would
gain him new friends--I say, all these things made him flatter himself
that all would be hushed, and that justice would but wink at him.
Wherefore he sailed directly for New York, whe