Does anyone Recognize this story?

[Brit.Privateer]

Hello all,

been trying to find the source of a particular story that some of my friends and me remembered. The story went something like:

A pirate was captured in the Caribbean (most likely a 17th century pirate), and to escape he blew up a few wineskins as floatation devises and swam to shore.

I don't know the name of the person, but I think it was a pirate captain. I want to find the whole story so I can get more exact information. Anyone else ever read of a tale like this and know where a source possibly is?

[Patrick Hand]

There was someone from the Buccaneer period who escaped a Spanish prison by using wine bottles....... now I have to remember who and where I read it..........

[JoshuaRed]

I believe that was Roc Brasiliano. Same dude that cut the heart out of a prisoner and force-fed it to another prisoner while the sans heart dude watched in horror as he died....

[Brit.Privateer]

I could not find the story for Roc Brasiliano, but when looking I found the man I was looking for, Bartholomew Portugues. The story comes from Exquemelin:

Bartolomeo was captured, and he was aboard a Spanish ship and the threat of him being hanged was in the air, "...Bartolomeo spoke good Spanish, and overheard teh sailors discussing the hanging. He at once looked for some means of saving his life. He took two empty wine jars and stoppered them tightly with cork. The night, when everyone was asleep escept the sentry who stood guarding him, Bartolomeo did all he could to persuade the man to go to his hammock. But as he showed no intention of doing so, Bartolomeo decided to cut his throat. This he did, without giving the sentry a chance to cry out. Immediately Bartolomeo lowered himself gently into the water with his two jars, and with their help swam to the shore..."

Thanks, just goes to show you once you even get a little bit of idea where to go that you can find what you are looking for.

[Capn_Enigma]

I believe that was Roc Brasiliano. Same dude that cut the heart out of a prisoner and force-fed it to another prisoner while the sans heart dude watched in horror as he died....

Not only was the prisoner with the jars not Rock Brasileiro (as has already been clarified by Brit.Privateer), but he was not the buccaneer who bit into the prisoner's heart, either. That was François l'Olonnais.

[Brit.Privateer]

While this Roc fellow was not the one I was looking for, his story is still very interesting, and is not one you commonly hear about. Usually when one talks about the 17th century age of Bucaneers, we mainly hear about Sir Henry Morgan and L'Olonnais, and not many other people, all the others being passed on as not as significant as the two stated and as many of the pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century.

[JoshuaRed]

Tomato, tomaato.

Guess that's what happens when I don't crack open Exquemelin for a couple years.

[blackjohn]

In a similar story, Basil Ringrose gives an account of a "Spanish Stratagem" whereby the Spaniards inflated a horse's hide and sent a fellow out to the buccaneers ship on it with the intent of setting it ablaze.

[Brit.Privateer]

In a similar story, Basil Ringrose gives an account of a "Spanish Stratagem" whereby the Spaniards inflated a horse's hide and sent a fellow out to the buccaneers ship on it with the intent of setting it ablaze.

What book would this be in? Source? I am interested to read this story more.

[blackjohn]

The Rio Grande Press' edition of Exquemeling, Part IV, Basil Ringrose's account of the Buccaneers, page 388, heading "A Spanish Stratagem." Hope that helps. My apologies for not including the info with my initial post.