deck of the largest schooner, drinking liquor and making
themselves merry, while we feared that they might change their minds,
pursue us and take our lives. Night beginning to approach, I thought
best to go down into the cabin and see what we had left to eat or drink.
As soon as I had reached the cabin, it being dark, I stumbled against
something on the floor, which I found to be our cook, whom we supposed
we had left behind, having seen the pirates put him on board the
schooner which was lying alongside of us, but knew nothing of his
return. I spoke to him, but received no answer, I hustled him about the
cabin, but could not make him speak. I at last got a light and looked
about for some provisions, cooking utensils, &c. and found about thirty
pounds of bread, a little broken coffee, and most of a barrel of beef,
but no cooking utensils except the caboose, with one or two pots set in
it. The next morning I called all hands into the cabin, showed all the
bread we had left, and told them it was necessary to go on allowance of
one biscuit a day per man, which was agreed to, until we could get
further supplies. I then questioned the cook, (knowing that he was
driven into the hold of the pirate schooner,) as to what kind of a cargo
she had. He said there were calicoes and all kinds of dry goods
scattered about, and more than a hundred demijohns; and "O captain, it
was the best old Jamaica rum that you ever tasted." I told him if the
pirates had caught him drinking their rum they would have killed him. He
said it looked so tempting he thought he would try it. I suppose that
after having drank a large quantity he made his escape on board of the
Combine before he felt the effects of it, as he was not aware of our
release.

[Illustration: The Pirates' plan of exercising the nerves of Captives.]

The next day we were boarded by a boat from a Spanish man-of-war brig. I
plead hard with the officer who boarded us to go in pursuit of the
pirates, which he refused to do, saying it was out of their limits to
cruise. I asked him for a supply of bread, which he denied me. In our
crippled state we reached Havanna in nine days, where we put in for
supplies.

On my arrival at Havanna I was met by Captain Dimond, master of the brig
Harriet, of Baltimore, who had been robbed by these pirates at the same
place, on the 12th of October. Captain Dimond informed me that the
pirates put a rope around his neck and hoisted him up to the fore-yard