: Someone mentioned to me a long time ago that some of the pirates of
: old were indeed Africans who escaped or took control of slave
: ships during the transAtlantic trade. The story of the Amistad
: does add some support that story. Does anyone know of any
: account of this happening?
: Thanks, in advance
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Patrick,

I just read a fictional short story about such an incident in a book I got for Christmas.

To Haiti or to Hell by Alexs D. Pate (Pgs. 714-724)
“Gumbo“, An anthology of AA Writing
Harlem Moon, Broadway Books, N.Y.

Luke Dunly was a twenty year old runaway slave from a Southern plantation who became Aarow The Pirate. After five years of pirating on his ship Starry Eye and when he was in the port of Santo Domingo, he announced to his crew that he wanted to go to Haiti. His crew consisted of 67 men including six Africans he had taken off slave ships.

To paraphrase his thoughts as written in the book, he wanted to go to Haiti to help fight for freedom of the Blacks. He wanted to help them to end slavery there because he had heard “..that black sailors were making their way there, especially runaways...” He wanted to fight along side of or under the leadership of Jean Jacque Desalines.

Sincerely,
BB

www.Kreyol.com/xhistory/3history.html