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PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERS.

707

that he had two long guns; there
‘was also something covered up
amidships, can’t aay whether it
was a gun or not—asked where
we were from and whither we
were boond—told him—he then
asked what our cargo was—eaid
it was saltpetre and tea, He then
ordered me to come on board the
sehooner. The crew of the
sehooner were on deck at this
time—I should think in number
they amounted to about fifty or
sixty men—lowered my boat, or-
dered four men into her, went in
myself, and rowed towards the
sehooner—we steered for the
gangway, but were directed to go
towards the fore-chains. I did
so, and held on by the chains,
when five of the schooner’s men
jnmped into the boat, and or-
dered me to row back to the brig.
‘When we got on board the brig,
they directed me to go into the
cabin, whieh I did, and two or
three of them followed. Two of
them presented their knives to
my bresst, and demanded the
money that was on board the ves-
sel—was alarmed, and told them
where it was. The pirates or-
dered the crew to get the money
up immediately—beating them
with the handles of their knives,
beeause they did not work fast
enough, The boxes containing
the money were marked P, and
were handed on deck as’ they
were got up from the run. The
Knives need by the pirates were
large. The men said I had more
money, and went searching about
—one of them said if they found
more money, they ‘would eut my
throat—a short time afterwards,
another eame down, and insisted
that I had more money—he bad
my speaking-tumpet in his
hand, and beat me with it se-

verely. A short time after, saw
their boat going towards the
echooner, with the boxes. In
about fifteen minutes a boat full
of them came back again—abont
twelve in all—heard them jump
on deck, close the eabin doors
and the after-hatchway—heard a
great noise, as if the yards were
coming down—smelled smoke
shortly afterwards; then saw
them, from the eabin window, go
to their vessel—they had my boat
and one of my spars with them.
They hoisted in their own boat,
and scuttled mine, as she filled
with water immediately after
they cast her off. The schooner
then made sail from the brig;
got up out of the cabin skylight,
which they had neglected io fas-
ten—found every thing in disor-
der, the rigging, yards, etc., fly-
ing abont—all the running-rig-
ging and halliards were cut
away. The sails were also ent to
pieces—the mainsail wes hang-
ing over the caboose, the roof of
which was on flre—found a tub
of tarred rope-yarns in the ea-
boose—if we had not come upon
deck at this moment, the caboose
would have set the mainsail on
fire, and then nothing could have
saved the vessel; could not swear
that any of the men now present
were those who boarded the Mex-
ican—saw and recognized a man
who landed with these prisoners
——saw him at the Town Hall, at
Salem. The man to whom I al-
lade recently committed suicide
in jail. He was one of the two
who drew their knives on me in
the cabin.

Cross-ezamined, The schooner
was about one hundred and fifty
tons burden, of the Baltimore
build. There are many of this
sort of vessela engaged in the

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