[Gutenberg 26690] • The Pirates of Panama / or, The Buccaneers of America; a True Account of the Famous Adventures and Daring Deeds of Sir Henry Morgan and Other Notorious Freebooters of the Spanish Main

A True Account of the Famous Adventures and Daring Deeds of Sir Henry

Morgan and Other Notorious Freebooters of the Spanish Main

This volume was originally written in Dutch by John Esquemeling, and

first published in Amsterdam in 1678 under the title of De Americaeneche

Zee Roovers. It immediately became very popular and this first hand

history of the Buccaneers of America was soon translated into the

principal European languages. The first English edition was printed in

1684\.

Of the author, John Esquemeling, very little is known although it is

generally conceded that he was in all probability a Fleming or

Hollander, a quite natural supposition as his first works were written

in the Dutch language. He came to the island of Tortuga, the

headquarters of the Buccaneers, in 1666 in the employ of the French West

India Company. Several years later this same company, owing to

unsuccessful business arrangements, recalled their representatives to

France and gave their officers orders to sell the company's land and all

its servants. Esquemeling then a servant of the company was sold to a

stern master by whom he was treated with great cruelty. Owing to hard

work, poor food and exposure he became dangerously ill, and his master

seeing his weak condition and fearing to lose the money Esquemeling had

cost him resold him to a surgeon. This new master treated him kindly so

that Esquemeling's health was speedily restored, and after one year's

service he was set at liberty upon a promise to pay his benefactor, the

surgeon, 100 pieces of eight at such a time as he found himself in

funds.

Once more a free man he determined to join the pirates and was received

into their society and remained with them until 1672. Esquemeling served

the Buccaneers in the capacity of barber-surgeon, and was present at all

their exploits. Little did he suspect that his first hand observations

would some day be cherished as the only authentic and true history of

the Buccaneers and Marooners of the Spanish Main.

From time to time new editions of this work have been published, but in

many cases much new material, not always authentic, has been added and

the result has been to mar the original narrative as set forth by

Esquemeling. In arranging this edition, the original English text only

has been used, and but few changes made by cutting out the long and

tedious description of plant and animal life of the West Indies of which

Esquemeling had only a smattering of truth. But, the history of Captain

Morgan and his fellow buccaneers is here printed almost identical with

the original English translation, and we believe it is the first time

this history has been published in a suitable form for the juvenile

reader with no loss of interest to the adult.

The world wide attention at this time in the Isthmus of Panama and the

great canal connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean lends to this

narrative an additional stimulus. Here are set forth the deeds of daring

of the wild freebooters in crossing the isthmus to attack the cities,

Puerto Bellow and Panama. The sacking and burning of these places

accompanied by pillage, fire, and treasure seeking both on land and on

sea form exciting reading. *The Buccaneers and Marooners of America*

well deserves a place on the book shelf with those old world-wide

favorites *Robinson Crusoe* and the *Swiss Family Robinson*.