had in their hearts the
remembrance that the Spanish naval forces gave no quarter to buccaneers.

But pirates such as Edward Low showed not one palliating feature in
their infamous characters. To rob and desert a shipwrecked crew was only
one of Low's contemptible actions. It appears that he seldom attacked a
vessel from which there seemed to be any probability of resistance, and
we read of no notable combats or sea-fights in which he was engaged. He
preyed upon the weak and defenceless, and his inhuman cruelties were
practised, not for the sake of extorting gain from his victims, but
simply to gratify his spite and love of wickedness.

There were men among Low's followers who looked upon him as a bold and
brave leader, for he was always a blusterer and a braggart, and there
were honest seamen and merchants who were very much afraid of him, but
time proved that there was no reason for any one to suppose that Edward
Low had a spark of courage in his composition. He was brave enough when
he was attacking an unarmed crew, but when he had to deal with any
vessel capable of inflicting any injury upon him he was a coward indeed.

Sailing in company with one companion vessel,--for he had discarded the
greater part of his pirate fleet,--Low sighted a good-sized ship at a
considerable distance, and he and his consort immediately gave chase,
supposing the distant vessel might prove to be a good prize. It so
happened, however, that the ship discovered by Low was an English
man-of-war, the _Greyhound_, which was cruising along the coast looking
for these very pirates, who had recently committed some outrageous
crimes upon the crews of merchant vessels in those waters.

When the two ships, with the black flags floating above them and their
decks crowded with desperate fellows armed with pistols and cutlasses,
drew near to the vessel, of which they expected to make a prize, they
were greatly amazed when she suddenly turned in her course and delivered
a broadside from her heavy cannon. The pirates returned the fire, for
they were well armed with cannon, and there was nothing else for them to
do but fight, but the combat was an extremely short one. Low's consort
was soon disabled by the fire from the man-of-war, and, as soon as he
perceived this, the dastardly Low, without any regard for his
companions in arms, and with no thought for anything but his own safety,
immediately stopped fighting, and setting all sail, sped away from the