308 CONFESSION OF A GREEK PIRATE. purchased it for him. Half an hour after I delivered the cross to the captain. Of the silver watches, the spy Gregorio took one I think, for about eighty piastres; another was taken by a Mainote whose name I do not know, and the third was taken by Spiro Calavritino, who is in custody. The division and auction took place at sea. The money was divided in the cabin, on the morning after our arrival at Armiro, which took place two hours after sun-set. The division of the clothes and the auction took place in midships an hour after I consented to receive the twenty-three dollars, which were forced upon me. At twelve o'clock I jumped into the Mistico's boat, and attempted to go on shore. The captain told me to stop a moment, and said "I wish to go with you on shore.' I waited some time in the boat, and the captain went into the cabin, and I think brought with him the gold repeater, the four rings, with all the money belonging to him, and to the owners of the Mistico, and carried them to the house of the Governor of Calamata, Captain Costantino Mavromicali. "When we reached the shore Captain Pa CONFESSION OF A GREEK PIRATE. 309 najotti and I each took a horse and proceeded together to Calamata. Before I left the Mistico, I sent Strati, one of the prisoners now in custody, on shore, to go to Calamata and bring me a horse to Armiro. The horse which the captain rode belonged to Armiro, Strati having sent only one: he remained at Calamata. We, that is, the captain and myself, arrived at Calamata two hours before sun-set. I went to my own house, and delivered the ship's papers, which I had concealed, to my wife. wife. An hour after this, namely, an hour after sun-set, the nephew of the governor, Elia Cazzacho met me at the market. As soon as he saw me, he seized hold of me, and said that the crew of the Mistico had sent notice to Captain Panajotti that I had taken the ship's papers; and that Captain Panajotti having applied to the governor, he (Elia) had come to arrest me. He then conveyed me to the house of Captain Costantino, the governor. As soon as I arrived there the governor ordered me to be tied, and diligent search made about my person for the papers: and not finding any thing, except the twenty-three dollars before mentioned, Elia went to my house and asked my wife where 310 the CONFESSION OF A GREEK PIRATE. papers were which she had received from me. She, not knowing any thing of what had happened to me, delivered them to him. When Elia returned with the papers to the house of the governor, the governor said to me, "You are a damned dirty dog for having stolen these papers; you must have had a bad intention.' I replied, I took the papers to preserve them, and not with the bad intention which you say. Notwithstanding this I was put into a room of the governor's house, where (in the same room) six men were placed as a guard over me. I remained there during that night; and on the following morning a declaration was presented to me to sign. I said I would not sign it until its contents were explained to me. The governor replied Very well, I'll read it to you; and then you'll sign it.' On reading over this paper I found the tenor of it to be this:-That five miles off Coron the Mistico perceived a brig at sea, the Mistico fired a musket for the brig to lay to,-the brig then fired a gun, and the shot from it killed two persons on board the Mistico; so the privateer answered with a shot: and soon after, the brig was seen sinking, and immediately went to the bottom.~ 6 CONFESSION OF A GREEK. PIRATE. 311 Upon this being read to me, I refused to sign it, saying it was not the truth, and I would never consent; but that they might get it signed by the captain of the Mistico and other persons of her crew. In consequence of this refusal, I was tied with my hands between my legs; and a stone weighing thirty pounds was put on my breast. Placing a pistol to my head, Elia Cazzacho told me, that if I did not consent to sign the paper he would put me to death. I said Take off the stone and. I will sign it. After this, as I cannot read or write, they told me to make the sign of the cross,which I complied with in the presence of a Greek priest and three gentlemen of Calamata, as witnesses to my mark. One of the three latter is a relation of Petro Bey, and his christian-name Theodosio; the second is named, I think, Giovanni Costantinachi; the name of the third I do not recollect.-The Greek priest was named, I think, Papa Athanasi. As soon as I had put my mark, Elia said, 'In consequence of this you will be hanged at Zante or at Malta.' Notwithstanding that I had consented to sign the declaration, I was kept a prisoner in the same room for the space of four 312 CONFESSION OF A GREEK PIRATE. days. After which I saw pass by the house, the nostromo of the Mistico and four other of her crew, namely, Costantine the boy, Spiro Calavritino, Pano Previsano, and Athanasi Mosconissiote; which last four are now in custody. I heard that these five had been carried to the house of the bishop. I forgot to mention, that another of those in custody, named Strati Aivaliote, was arrested on the same day as myself, and brought prisoner to the same room. On the following day I and Strati were conveyed to another house, where we found the other five, with whom we were confined in the same room. This house belonged to my mother-in-law, which was taken from her by force; and she attempted to set fire to it. Twelve or thirteen days after the acting British Vice Consul of Calamata, Ignazio Giovanni Hadgi Yanuli, came into the house and went up stairs. (We were confined on the ground floor.) They sent for the nostromo, who went to them accordingly; and when he was entering the room where they were I heard the acting British Vice Consul say to him, if he wished to get his liberty he must sign the attestation that had been signed by Gregorio. The nos |