The ship was manned by Moors and commanded by a
Dutchman, and of course Kidd had no right to touch it, but the
sharp-witted and business-like pirate selected one of the passengers and
made him sign a paper declaring that he was a Frenchman, and that he
commanded the ship. When this statement had been sworn to before
witnesses, Kidd put the document in his pocket so that if he were called
upon to explain the transaction he might be able to show that he had
good reason to suppose that he had captured a French ship, which, of
course, was all right and proper.
Kidd now ravaged the East India waters with great success and profit,
and at last he fell in with a very fine ship from Armenia, called the
_Quedagh Merchant_, commanded by an Englishman. Kidd's conscience had
been growing harder and harder every day, and he did not now hesitate to
attack any vessel. The great merchantman was captured, and proved to be
one of the most valuable prizes ever taken by a pirate, for Kidd's own
share of the spoils amounted to more than sixty thousand dollars. This
was such a grand haul that Kidd lost no time in taking his prize to some
place where he might safely dispose of her cargo, and get rid of her
passengers. Accordingly he sailed for Madagascar. While he was there he
fell in with the first pirate vessel he had met since he had started out
to put down piracy.
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