POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE
by Jon Blyth
Possibly the unluckiest pirate in history
The notorious Captain Kidd (a Scotsman!) was born in 1645 and by 1690 was a wealthy merchant living in New York. On a trip to London in 1695 he accepted a letter of marque from the British, enabling him to capture ships and goods belonging to the enemy (France), along with a commission to seize pirates and their ships.
Unfortunately on leaving New York harbour Kidd's ship, the "Adventure Galley", failed to salute a Navy yacht. When hailed with a shot to remind them of the respect due, Kidd's crew instead presented their backsides to the Navy vessel. Shortly afterwards, the Adventure was boarded and Kidd's crew swapped for a bunch of Navy rejects!
By April 1697, Kidd had not taken a single prize. His crew, tired of sailing up and down the African coast, urged an attack on a Moorish ship in the Red Sea but this failed due to the presence of an English frigate, escorting its Moorish allies.
Kidd now had to put down a mutiny attempt. His method of leadership was to hit the leader of the rebels over the head with a bucket, killing him.
Kidd then began a series of attacks on merchant shipping targeting any vessel carrying French passes - apparently unaware that this did not make them legitimate targets for a privateer. He took a Moorish ship captained by a Dutchman and a Portuguese vessel carrying British East India goods.
Kidd finally lost his nerve on boarding the "Quedah Merchant", another Moorish ship, finding it to be captained by an Englishman. Although Kidd tried to return this ship to its captain, his crew refused to give up their rich prize.
Tired of their inept commander Kidd's crew soon deserted, forcing him to recruit a new crew and sail home with his share of the booty. After three years at sea, Kidd arrived in England where he was immediately arrested and tried for piracy and murder-by-bucket. Members of his former crew were actually given pardons to testify against him.
In 1701, Kidd was hanged and his body displayed on a gibbet by the Thames as a warning to others with piratical intentions.
The only other unlucky pirate I know of is...
The dread Pirate Captain Bill Yates,
Was dancing a jig for his mates.
He slipped on a cutlass
Which rendered him nutless
So now he's quite useless on dates.
(Boom boom!)
|
