After these he fell in with the Wright galley, Capt.  John Spelt, commander, hired by the South Sea company, to go to the coast of Angola for slaves, and thence to Buenos Ayres.  This ship he detained a considerable time, and the captain being his townsman, treated him very civilly.  A few days after he took Spelt, he made prize of a Portuguese, laden with bale goods and stores.  He rigged the Wright galley anew, and put on board of her some of the goods.  Soon after he had discharged the Portuguese, he met with a Dutch East Indiaman of 28 guns, whose captain was killed the first broadside, and took her with little resistance, for he had hoisted the pirate’s colors on board Spelt’s ship.

[Illustration:  Capt.  Condent leaping into the hold, to attack the Indian.]

He now, with three sail, steered for the island of Ferdinando, where he hove down and cleaned the Flying Dragon.  Having careened, he put 11 Dutchmen on board Capt.  Spelt, to make amends for the hands he had forced from him, and sent him away, making him a present of the goods he had taken from the Portuguese ship.  When he sailed himself, he ordered the Dutch to stay at Ferdinando 24 hours after his departure; threatening, if he did not comply, to sink his ship, if he fell a second time into his hands, and to put all the company to the sword.  He then stood for the coast of Brazil, where he met a Portuguese man of war of 70 guns, which he came up with.  The Portuguese hailed him, and he answered, from London, bound to Buenos Ayres.  The Portuguese manned his shrouds and cheered him, when Condent fired a broadside, and a smart engagement ensued for the space of three glasses; but Condent finding himself over-matched, made the best of his way, and being the best sailer, got off.

A few days after, he took a vessel of the same nation, who gave an account that he had killed above forty men in the Guarda del Costa, beside a number wounded.  He kept along the coast to the southward, and took a French ship of 18 guns, laden with wine and brandy, bound for the South Sea, which he carried with him into the River of Platte.  He sent some of his men ashore to kill some wild cattle, but they were taken by the crew of a Spanish man-of-war.  On their examination before the captain, they said they were two Guinea ships, with slaves belonging to the South Sea company, and on this story were allowed to return to their boats.  Here five of his forced men ran away with his canoe; he plundered the French ship, cut her adrift, and she was stranded.  He proceeded along the Brazil coast, and hearing a pirate ship was lost upon it, and the pirates imprisoned, he used all the Portuguese who fell into his hands, who were many, very barbarously, cutting off their ears and noses; and as his master was a papist, when they took a priest, they made him say mass at the mainmast, and would afterwards get on his back and ride him about the decks, or else load and drive him like a beast.  He from this went to the Guinea coast, and took Capt.  Hill, in the Indian Queen.