[Illustration:  Captain Roberts’ Crew carousing at Old Calabar River.]

When necessity again compelled them, they renewed their cruising; and, dissatisfied with capturing vessels which only afforded them a temporary supply, directed their course to the Guinea coast to forage for gold.  Intoxication rendered them unruly, and the brigantine at last embraced the cover of night to abandon the commodore.  Unconcerned at the loss of his companion, Roberts pursued his voyage.  He fell in with two French ships, the one of ten guns and sixty-five men, and the other of sixteen guns and seventy-five men.  These dastards no sooner beheld the black flag than they surrendered.  With these they went to Sierra Leone, constituting one of them a consort, by the name of the Ranger, and the other a store-ship.  This port being frequented by the greater part of the traders to that quarter, they remained here six weeks, enjoying themselves in all the splendor and luxury of a piratical life.

After this they renewed their voyage, and having captured a vessel, the greater part of the men united their fortunes with the pirates.  On board of one of the ships was a clergyman, whom some of them proposed taking along with them, for no other reason than that they had not a chaplain on board.  They endeavored to gain his consent, and assured him that he should want for nothing, and his only work would be, to make punch and say prayers.  Depraved, however, as these men were, they did not choose to constrain him to go, but displayed their civility further, by permitting him to carry along with him whatever he called his own.  After several cruises, they now went into a convenient harbor at Old Calabar, where they cleaned, refitted, divided their booty, and for a considerable time caroused, to banish care and sober reflection.

According to their usual custom, the time of festivity and mirth was prolonged until the want of means recalled them to reason and exertion.  Leaving this port, they cruised from place to place with varied success; but in all their captures, either burning, sinking, or devoting their prizes to their own use, according to the whim of the moment.  The Swallow and another man-of-war being sent out expressly to pursue and take Roberts and his fleet, he had frequent and certain intelligence of their destination; but having so often escaped their vigilance, he became rather too secure and fearless.  It happened, however, that while he lay off Cape Lopez, the Swallow had information of his being in that place, and made towards him.  Upon the appearance of a sail, one of Roberts’ ships was sent to chase and take her.  The pilot of the Swallow seeing her coming, manoeouvred his vessel so well, that though he fled at her approach, in order to draw her out of the reach of her associates, yet he at his own time allowed her to overtake the man-of-war.

Upon her coming up to the Swallow, the pirate hoisted the black flag, and fired upon her; but how greatly were her crew astonished, when they saw that they had to contend with a man-of-war, and seeing that all resistance was vain, they cried out for quarter, which was granted, and they were made prisoners, having ten men killed and twenty wounded, without the loss or hurt of one of the king’s men.