After being attacked by pirates, the former captain Snellgrove witnessed a pirate society in the 18th century as a bystander, a mixture of indulgence and strict equality, mocking everything and discipline.
Captive captain
On the morning of April 1, 1719, a British slave ship gradually approached Sierra Leone in West Africa. The ship was filled with linen and wool products to exchange the slaves of Sierra Leone and the broad beans that were eaten by the slaves. Turkeys, ducks, geese, and pigs. Captain Snellgrove is worried because the pirates on the West African coast are particularly embarrassed. These desperate people not only rob the goods on board, but the merchant ships themselves will not let go.
He really met the pirates and the pirates rushed to the boat. They asked who was the captain Snellgrove stood up automatically. A pirate pointed a gun at his chest, and another pirate began to beat him with a butt. Later, a crew member of Snellgrove shouted: "For God's sake, don't kill our captain, I am I have never been better than him in my life." The pirates stopped when they heard this. Another pirate pointing a gun at him, holding Snellgrave's hand promised him to be safe because his crew supported him.
After being robbed, Snellgrove stayed with the pirates for a month, and his experience at least allowed him to solve a puzzle: why some people are willing to be pirates. On the night of the merchant ship being occupied by pirates, the first officer of Snellgrove joined the pirate group. He even told the crew that Captain Snellgrave himself had to join the pirates. After being robbed, a quarter of the crew on the merchant ship joined the pirates.
Snellgrove said that the pirates were modest and refused luxury. A pirate called Snellgrave's gold watch "good football" and kicked it. They insist that their motives are not greed but justice, and the pirate captain said that they are pirates because they want to retaliate against the merchant and the cruel captain of the crew. Snellgrove found that pirate life seems to be a mixture of indulgence and strict equality, ridicule and idealism, anarchism and discipline.
He witnessed a pirate society in the eyes of a bystander. It is not as chaotic, greedy, and disorderless as everyone imagined.
Regulations on pirate ships
There are no prisons, no police, no parliament in the pirate society; no lawyers, no judges. It seems that they are a group of violent criminals, and the pirate circle is a mental hospital that houses crazy criminals. However, the truth is that their life is orderly and honest.
Some pirate captains have specific rules for the life of the ship, stipulating the behavior of pirates in four basic aspects: the distribution system of the chief and the crew on the treasure; the rules of life on board; the reward system for the injured in combat; Punishment.
For example, Captain Bart Roberts is forbidden to roll dice and gamble, which is a common practice for pirate ships; he also stipulates that candles and lights must be extinguished after 8 pm while drinking on the deck is no limit. In addition, boys and women are prohibited from being taken on board.
Roberts’s first rule is of the utmost importance. It reflects the democratic content of pirate life: anyone has the right to vote when dealing with specific events; has equal rights to control new goods or spirits at any time. And the right to enjoy, unless in the event of a shortage, for the benefit of the group, the people made a thrifty vote.
According to the tradition of pirates, the captain must be elected by all pirates and can be dismissed at any time. However, as a pirate captain also enjoys some powers. "The power of the captain is not to be violated in the case of chasing or combat. Anyone who dares to defy will be punished by a stick, a knife, and a knife." This means that the captain's power is paramount during the battle.
Similarly, the captain reserves the right to dispose of the captives. For example, when deciding on the direction of navigation, the crew will vote to make a choice and vote to choose whether to attack a particular vessel or shore target. As a result, the captain's dominant position is greatly reduced, and perhaps only a better cabin, and a little more share of the spoils.
Snellgrove is very sorry that his observation of the pirates is not consistent with his imagination. He does not know what kind of people these are.