Indian Antiquary Vol 48

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 221

DECEMBER, 1919)
EPISODES OF PIRACY IN THE EASTERN SEAS
217
EPISODES OF PIRACY IN THE EASTERN SEAS, 1519 TO 1851.
By S. CHARLES HILL. (Continued from p. 205.)
XII.
CRUISE OF THE PIRATE GOOD HOPE, 1687. Amongst the Buccaneers who sailed for the Philippines was one John Eaton. According to James Burney (Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Seas) he behaved very cruelly to the inhabitants of the Ladrone Islands and took much plunder on the Chinese Coast, but what became of him afterwards I do not know. Probably he died in those parts, for some of his crew managed to get to the Bay of Bengal without him, and arrived at the mouth of the Hûgli. There they found the East India Company's ketch Good Hope and, persuading the Mate, Duncan Mackintosh, and some of the crew to join them, carried her off, Mackintosh being elected Captain. Apparently they made good booty after putting the narrator of the cruise ashore, for, from India Office Records, O.C, 5690,67 it appears that the Good Hope arrived at St. Augustine's in Madagascar with a good store of gold and diamonds but very few men, in May 1689. The cowardice displayed by this gang of pirates in their affrays with the Malays and Japanese was probably due to the smallness of their crew, for it was a maxim of the pirates never to take any unnecessary risks.
"The Right Honble. Company's Ketch Good Hope arrived in Ballasore Road, Samuell Herron Commander, brought two Pylotts to carry up the Rochester and the Rebecka to Hugily [Hügli ): and May the 2nd was by Sunrising surpriz'd and taken by some of Captain Eaton's men having first bound the Master and myself in the Great Cabbin, and the rest of the men readily assenting to goe and seek their fortunes with them, one George Robinson only excepted. They then cutt the Cable in the hause, made saile for the Nincombarrs (Nicobars), before which it was put to the vote whether they should putt the Master and myself on shoare upon the Andimans Islands inhabitted by man-Eaters. At the Nincombarrs they wooded and water'd their Ketch, then proceeding on their Pyratting designe for the Straights of Mallacca. Of[f] Acheen they took a small Prow bound to the Port, wherein they put the Master, but would not lett me goe with him. One George Robinson aforesaid went into the boat, thinking to leave them, but was hal'd in by the hair of his head and threattned to be murder'd.
"In the sight of - Mallacca, they came up with a China Junk who had two Portuguese Pylotts on board, one of which with a China Merchant came on board to shew a Dutch pass he had. They detsin'd them, mann'd the Junk's boat with their own Rogues, went on board, took her without fireing gunn, great or small, plunder'd her, found noe money in ber, shee being laden with Sandalla wood and not answering their expectations, tooke out a chest of silke, some cloaths, then cutt hole in her and sunk her. The two aforesaid Portugueze Pylotts inform'd them that there was a Portugueze shipp gon before, and that if they made the best of their way they might come up with her, which fell out accordingly, for ia
BT Mackintosh when he turned pirate took the name of Thompson
# This statement is an old error, for the Andamanese have never been cannibals though loog reputed to be so.-ED.