I and my men were now thrown forward to the gate. From a spy-hole, I
could see the whole crowd of Pirates. There were Malays among them,
Dutch, Maltese, Greeks, Sambos, Negroes, and Convict Englishmen from the
West India Islands; among the last, him with the one eye and the patch
across the nose. There were some Portuguese, too, and a few Spaniards.
The captain was a Portuguese; a little man with very large ear-rings
under a very broad hat, and a great bright shawl twisted about his
shoulders. They were all strongly armed, but like a boarding party, with
pikes, swords, cutlasses, and axes. I noticed a good many pistols, but
not a gun of any kind among them. This gave me to understand that they
had considered that a continued roll of musketry might perhaps have been
heard on the mainland; also, that for the reason that fire would be seen
from the mainland they would not set the Fort in flames and roast us
alive; which was one of their favourite ways of carrying on. I looked
about for Christian George King, and if I had seen him I am much mistaken
if he would not have received my one round of ball-cartridge in his head.
But, no Christian George King was visible.
A sort of a wild Portuguese demon, who seemed either fierce-mad or fierce-
drunk--but, they all seemed one or the other--came forward with the black
flag, and gave it a wave or two.
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