One of these sloops was called the Fancy, and commanded by Low himself, and the other the Ranger, commanded by Harris; both hoisted their piratical colors, and fired each a gun.  When the Greyhound came within musket shot, she hauled up her mainsail, and clapped close upon a wind, to keep the pirates from running to leeward, and then engaged.  But when the rogues found whom they had to deal with, they edged away under the man-of-war’s stern, and the Greyhound standing after them, they made a running fight for about two hours; but little wind happening, the sloops gained from her, by the help of their oars; upon which the Greyhound left off firing, turned all hands to her own oars, and at three in the afternoon came up with them.  The pirates hauled upon a wind to receive the man-of-war, and the fight was immediately renewed, with a brisk fire on both sides, till the Ranger’s mainyard was shot down.  Under these circumstances, Low abandoned her to the enemy, and fled.

The conduct of Low was surprising in this adventure, because his reputed courage and boldness had hitherto so possessed the minds of all people, that he became a terror even to his own men; but his behaviour throughout this whole action showed him to be a base cowardly villain; for had Low’s sloop fought half so briskly as Harris’ had done (as they were under a solemn oath to do,) the man-of-war, in the opinion of some present, could never have hurt them.

Nothing, however, could lessen the fury, or reform the manners, of that obdurate crew.  Their narrow escape had no good effect upon them, and with redoubled violence they renewed their depredations and cruelties.  The next vessel they captured, was eighty miles from land.  They used the master with the most wanton cruelty, then shot him dead, and forced the crew into the boat with a compass, a little water, and a few biscuits, and left them to the mercy of the waves; they, however, beyond all expectation, got safe to shore.

Low proceeded in his villainous career with too fatal success.  Unsatisfied with satiating their avarice and walking the common path of wickedness, those inhuman wretches, like to Satan himself, made mischief their sport, cruelty their delight, and the ruin and murder of their fellow men their constant employment.  Of all the piratical crews belonging to the English nation, none ever equalled Low in barbarity.  Their mirth and their anger had the same effect.  They murdered a man from good humor, as well as from anger and passion.  Their ferocious disposition seemed only to delight in cries, groans, and lamentations.  One day Low having captured Captain Graves, a Virginia man, took a bowl of punch in his hand, and said, “Captain, here’s half this to you.”  The poor gentleman was too much touched with his misfortunes to be in a humor for drinking, he therefore modestly excused himself.  Upon this Low cocked and presented a pistol in the one hand, and his bowl in the other, saying, “Either take the one or the other.”