Meanwhile, Low’s ship was overset upon the careen and lost, so that, having only the Fancy schooner remaining, they all, to the number of a hundred, went on board her, and set sail in search of new spoils.  They soon met a rich Portuguese vessel, and after some resistance captured her.  Low tortured the men to constrain them to inform him where they had hid their treasures.  He accordingly discovered that, during the chase, the captain had hung a bag with eleven thousand moidores out of the cabin window, and that, when they were taken, he had cut the rope, and allowed it to fall into the sea.  Upon this intelligence, Low raved and stormed like a fury, ordered the captain’s lips to be cut off and broiled before his eyes, then murdered him and all his crew.

[Illustration:  The Captain of the Portuguese Ship cutting away the Bag of Moidores.]

After this bloody action, the miscreants steered northward, and in their course seized several vessels, one of which they burned, and plundering the rest, allowed them to proceed.  Having cleaned in one of the islands, they then sailed for the bay of Honduras.  They met a Spaniard coming out of the bay, which had captured five Englishmen and a pink, plundered them, and brought away the masters prisoners.  Low hoisted Spanish colors, but, when he came near, hung out the black flag, and the Spaniard was seized without resistance.  Upon finding the masters of the English vessels in the hold, and seeing English goods on board, a consultation was held, when it was determined to put all the Spaniards to the sword.  This was scarcely resolved upon, when they commenced with every species of weapons to massacre every man, and some flying from their merciless hands into the waves, a canoe was sent in pursuit of those who endeavored to swim on shore.  They next plundered the Spanish vessel, restored the English masters to their respective vessels, and set the Spaniard on fire.

Low’s next cruise was between the Leeward Islands and the main land, where, in a continued course of prosperity, he successively captured no less than nineteen ships of different sizes, and in general treated their crews with a barbarity unequalled even among pirates.  But it happened that the Greyhound, of twenty guns and one hundred and twenty men, was cruising upon that coast.  Informed of the mischief these miscreants had done, the Greyhound went in search of them.  Supposing they had discovered a prize, Low and his crew pursued them, and the Greyhound, allowing them to run after her until all things were ready to engage, turned upon the two sloops.