This I did to prevent the shedding of precious blood, knowing full
well that the ignorant savages, believing the ship in sore
distress, would swim off to her with provisions and fruit, bearing
no arms. Which they did, while we, as fast as they clomb the
sides, despatched them at leisure, without unseemly outcry or
alarms. Having thus disposed of the most adventurous, we landed
and took possession of the island, finding thereon many kegs of
carbuncles and rubies and pieces of eight--the treasure store of
those lawless pirates who infest the seas, having no colour of war
or teaching of civilisation to atone for their horrid deeds.
I discovered also, by an omission in the chart, that this was not
the Island wot of by the good and aged Devonshire divine--and so we
eased our consciences of accounting for the treasure to him. We
then sailed away, arriving after many years' absence at the Port of
Bristol in Merrie England, where I took leave of the "Jolly Roger,"
that being the name of my ship; it was a strange conceit of seamen
in after years ever to call the device of my FLAG--to wit, a skull
and bones made in the sign of a Cross--by the NAME my ship bore,
and if I have only corrected the misuse of history by lying knaves,
I shall be content with this writing. But alas! such are the
uncertainties of time; I found my good Lord of Southampton dead and
most of his friends beheaded, and the blessed King James of
Scotland--if I mistake not, for these also be the uncertainties of
time--on the throne.
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