A SEA BATTLE – Corsairs & Captives

Most people have probably heard of Captain John Smith, the Englishman who wedded (or at least bedded) Pocahontas—the Indian ‘princess’—in the days of the early Jamestown settlement in what would come to be known as Virginia.

That Jamestown episode, however, was only one in a series of adventures in John Smith’s life.

As a young man, he adventured in Eastern Europe, was shipwrecked, and ended up for a time as a crewmember aboard a French pirate ship in the Mediterranean. Later, while fighting against Ottoman Turkish forces in Hungary, he was captured, enslaved, and taken to Istanbul. He escaped by killing his owner and then traveled through Germany, France, Spain, and Morocco before eventually making his way back to England.

An adventurous life, to say the least. And all this happened before he traveled to the New World.

Captain Smith was not only an adventurer. He was also a successful author. One of the various works he published (in 1626) was an instructional pamphlet titled An Accidence for all Young Sea-men: or Their Path-way to Experience, which he addressed to “the Reader; and all Generous and Noble Adventurers by Sea; and Well-Wishers to Navigation.”

An Accidence is mostly a straightforward ‘how-to’ book about seamanship. Captain Smith leaps right in explaining things without any preliminaries. Here is the beginning of the first page:

“The Captaines charge is to commaund all, and tell the Master to what Port he will go, or to what height. In a fight he is to giue direction for the managing thereof, and the Maister is to see to the cunning of the Ship, and trimming of the sailes. The Maister and his Mate is to direct the course, commaund all the Saylors…”

There is one curious section of An Accidence, though, that is more than just straightforward explanation. It’s a sort of stream-of-consciousness description of what it was like for a pirate/corsair/privateer ship to attack and capture another vessel—a sea battle.

I have included that section in its entirety below.

Usually, with seventeenth century texts, I modernize the spelling and vocabulary to make things easier for modern casual readers. I haven’t done that in this extract (or in the bit above). Maintaining the original wording (eccentric spelling and all) may sacrifice a little clarity, but sometimes there’s just no substitute for the original—especially when that original is as evocative as this one is. As I say, it’s a kind of stream-of consciousness description.

I don’t know if James Joyce (of Ulysses and Finnegan’s Wake fame) ever read An Accidence, but if he did, I’m sure he would have admired it.

So here it is, Captain John Smith’s description of what an attack at sea was like.

A sail, how stands she, to windward or leeward, set him by the Compass, he stands right a-head ; or on the weather bow, or lee bow : out with all your sails, a steady man to the helm, sit close to keep her steady. Give chase or fetch him up, he holds his own, no we gather on him, out goeth his flag and pennants or streamers, also his colours, his waist-cloths and top armings, he furls and slings his main sail, in goes his sprit sail and mizzen, he makes ready his close fights fore and after. Well, we shall reach him by and by.

What, is all ready ? Yea, yea. Every man to his charge. Dowse your top sail, salute him for the sea. Hail him. Whence your ship? Of Spain. Whence is yours? Of England. Are you Merchants or Men of War? We are of the Sea.

He waves us to leeward for the King of Spain, and keeps his luff. Give him a chase piece, a broadside, and run a-head, make ready to tack about, give him your stern pieces, be yare at helm, hail him with a noise of Trumpets.

We are shot through and through, and between wind and water, try the pump. Master let us breathe and refresh a little. Sling a man overboard to stop the leak. Done, done. Is all ready again? Yea, yea. Bear up close with him, with all your great and small shot charge him. Board him on his weather quarter, lash fast your grapplins and shear off, then run stemline the mid ships. Board and board, or thwart the hawse. We are foul on each other.

The ship’s on fire. Cut any thing to get clear, and smother the fire with wet cloths. We are clear, and the fire is out, God be thanked.

The day is spent, let us consult. Surgeon look to the wounded. Wind up the slain, with each a weight or bullet at his head and feet, give three pieces for their funerals

Swabber make clean the ship. Purser record their names. Watch be vigilant to keep your berth to windward, and that we loose him not in the night. Gunners spunge your Ordnances. Soldiers scour your pieces. Carpenters about your leaks. Boatswain and the rest, repair the sails and shrouds. Cook see you observe your directions against the morning watch.

Boy. Hulloa Master. Hulloa. Is the kettle boiled ? Yea, yea.

Boatswain call up the men to Prayer and Breakfast.

Boy fetch my cellar of Bottles. A health to you all fore and aft, courage my hearts for a fresh charge. Master lay him aboard luff for luff : Midshipsmen see the tops and yards well manned with stones and brass balls, to enter them in the shrouds, and every squadron else at their best advantage. Sound Drums and Trumpets, and St. George for England.

They hang out a flag of truce, stand in with him, hail him amain, abaft or take in his flag, strike their sails and come aboard, with the Captain, Purser, and Gunner, with your Commission, Cocket, or bills of loading.

Out goes their Boat, they are launched from the Ship side. Entertain them with a general cry. God save the Captain, and all the Company, with the Trumpets sounding. Examine them in particular; and then conclude your conditions with feasting, freedom, or punishment as you find occasion.

For those who may be interested…

The text quoted from Captain John Smith’s An Accidence for all Young Sea-men: or Their Path-way to Experience comes from The English Scholar’s Library, Capt. John Smith, of Willoughby by Alford, Lincolnshire; President of Virginia, and Admiral of New England. Works 1608-1631, pp. 796-797. This book, published in 1884 and edited by Edward Arber, is a comprehensive collection of Smith’s written works, running to just under 1,000 pages.