Roche Brasiliano Filibuster Country: Netherlands

1. Biography of Rock the Brazilian
2. Rock's Adventures
3. Pirate Life and Return to Jamaica
4. Rock's Legacy and Disappearance

Biography of Rock the Brazilian

In the mid-17th century, one of the most prominent pirates on Tortuga Island was Rock, nicknamed the Brazilian, whose true name is unknown. According to historians, he was born in the Dutch city of Groningen, but his father's family moved to Brazil, where Rock lived until 1641 when the country was captured by the Portuguese. After that, he appeared in the West Indies and found refuge on Tortuga Island. Rock the Brazilian mastered the craft of buccaneering - he combined the bravery of a warrior and the skill of a helmsman, equally proficient in all types of weapons, including the indigenous bow. Like most other pirates, he was unrestrained and ferocious; it is said that in a drunken rage, he would walk down the street, cutting down everyone he encountered with his sword, which he always carried unsheathed. In the book "Pirates of America" by A.O. Exquemelin, Rock the Brazilian is described as follows: "Now is the time to tell a few more stories about a pirate who still lives in Jamaica and has accomplished as much as the other pirates we have mentioned. Although he was originally from Groningen, he lived in Brazil for a long time. When Brazil became Portuguese again, some families left their settled places and settled in the Netherlands, the French or English islands, and even in Virginia. He went to Jamaica and, not knowing what to do and how to make a living, joined the pirates. Soon he became known as Rock the Brazilian. Rock started as an ordinary pirate. He managed to earn respect and gather around him people who revolted against their captain, took over his ship, and proclaimed Rock as their captain. Shortly after, they seized a ship that was carrying a large sum of money from New Spain. After taking it, the pirates set off for Jamaica. This success brought Rock great fame among the pirates, and he became very proud. The whole of Jamaica trembled before him. He was rude, uncouth, and behaved like a furious beast. When he got drunk, he would rampage through the city and seriously injure anyone who crossed his path. No one dared to oppose him openly; they only spoke ill of him behind his back, saying he was a bad person. Among the Spaniards, Rock became known as the most evil rapist and tyrant. Once, he impaled several people on wooden stakes and tied the rest up and threw them between two bonfires. He burned them alive, like pigs. And the guilt of these people was just that they tried to stop his black business and save their pigsty, which he intended to plunder.

Rock's Adventures

One day, Rock set out to seek his fortune on the coast of Campeche. They encountered a violent storm along the way, and the ship was stranded on the shore, forcing the entire crew to abandon the vessel and land on the coast, taking only their guns and a small supply of gunpowder and bullets. The place where they landed was between Campeche and Trieste. The pirates headed towards Trieste, where pirate ships were usually repaired. After three or four days of hardship, suffering from hunger, thirst, and the difficulties of the journey, the pirates became too exhausted to continue. At that moment, they encountered a hundred Spanish horsemen. Captain Rock encouraged his comrades, telling them that surrendering was out of the question – it was better to die than fall into the hands of the Spaniards. The pirates numbered only thirty, but they were heavily armed. Seeing their captain's courage, they decided that it was better to die together in battle than to surrender. Meanwhile, the Spaniards were rapidly approaching. The pirates let them come closer to ensure accurate shots, and the volley was very successful. The battle lasted another half an hour, and the Spaniards turned to flee. The pirates captured several horses, finished off the wounded Spaniards, and moved on. They lost two men, and two Spaniards were wounded. They reached the coast on horseback and spotted a Spanish bark with lumber not far offshore. The pirates sent six men to capture the canoe that was towing the bark. Early in the morning, these men captured the canoe, and the pirates managed to take over the bark. They had very little provisions, so they slaughtered all the horses and salted the meat, finding supplies of salt on the bark. They planned to eat horse meat until they found something better. Some time later, the pirate managed to capture a ship that was carrying cocoa from New Spain to Maracaibo. It was loaded with flour and carried a lot of money. With this cargo, Rock returned to Jamaica, where he wreaked havoc with his crew until they ran out of money. This pirate belonged to the kind of people who never let money lie idle - such people drink and indulge until they spend every last penny. Some of them manage to squander two or three thousand reals in one night, so that by morning they don't even have a shirt on their back. I knew a man in Jamaica who paid a prostitute five hundred reals just to look at her naked. And such people commit many foolish acts. My former master often bought a cask of wine, rolled it out onto the street, pulled out the bung, and sat down next to it. Everyone passing by had to drink with him - try not to drink when you're being treated at gunpoint, and my master never parted with his gun. Sometimes he would buy a barrel of oil, drag it out onto the street, and throw oil at passers-by directly on their clothes or heads.

Pirate Life and Return to Jamaica

The pirates took care of each other. Those who have nothing can count on the support of their comrades. Pirates had credit even among the innkeepers in Jamaica. But in Jamaica, you cannot trust creditors: after all, they can easily sell you for your debts, and I have witnessed this myself. In the end, they even sold the pirate who generously paid the prostitute. At first, he had three thousand reals, and in less than three months, he himself was sold for debts, right in the house where he wasted most of his money. But now let's return to our story. In a relatively short time, Rock squandered all his money and was forced to set sail again with his comrades. This time, he ended up near the coasts of Campeche, which were favored places for pirates. He reached there in less than fourteen days and transferred to a canoe to go on a raid on Campeche, hoping to encounter some ships. But luck was not on his side - he and his canoe and crew were captured by the Spaniards. He was immediately brought before the governor, who ordered him to be placed in a dark cell on bread and water. The governor would have gladly hanged him without the slightest delay but hesitated, fearing that this crafty pirate might have hidden something. Rock did something that led the governor to receive a letter; he wrote it himself, but everything was done in such a way as to convince the governor that it was written by his comrades in captivity. The letter threatened and warned the governor that if he caused any harm to the renowned Rock, the pirates would show no mercy to any Spaniard. Upon receiving such a letter, the governor probably realized that a noose was tightening around his neck: after all, the bandit was really famous. He was the most renowned pirate in Jamaica, and he had raided Campeche several times. Therefore, the governor decided to send him to Spain on the first galleon, taking his oath not to pirate again. As a parting threat, the governor warned that if he was caught again, he would be hanged immediately. The pirate stayed in Spain for a short time. All the while, he was looking for an opportune moment to return to Jamaica. Even on the way to Spain, he obtained fifty reals from fishermen, bought clothes and other necessary items, and returned to Jamaica. Upon arrival, he became even more infamous for his brutal raids, causing numerous troubles for the Spaniards - he was capable of such actions.

Rock's Legacy and Disappearance

Over time, the Spaniards realized that there was no salvation from pirates at sea, and they started sailing much less frequently. But even that did not help them. Without encountering any ships, the pirates began to gather in groups and plunder coastal towns and settlements. The first pirate to engage in land raiding was Lewis the Scot. He attacked Campeche, looted it, and burned it to the ground. After him, Mansfield started similar raids; he headed towards New Granada (now Colombia - S. Starostin), hoping to reach the South Sea. But there was little food, and he was forced to turn back. Then he captured Santa Catalina Island and took several prisoners who led him to the city of Cartagena, which was under the rule of New Granada." It is known that Rock the Brazilian bought a twelve-gun Spanish brigantine from L'Olonnais and also participated in Henry Morgan's raids on Portobello and Panama. In all his operations, he demonstrated cruelty towards the Spaniards, at least several of whom were burned alive by him in retaliation for refusing to reveal the location of their treasures.

A similar auto-da-fé was almost his own fate when he was captured by the Spaniards during the attack on Campeche's coast. The Inquisition tortured him, and he revealed the location of the treasure he buried on the Isle of Pines off the coast of Cuba. Greedy for treasure, the Spaniards, instead of hanging Rock, sent him to Europe aboard a galleon, where, according to the historian, he "won universal love." Rock amazed his fellow travelers during the sea voyage by shooting flying fish with his bow; they bought fresh catch from him, allowing him to accumulate five hundred reals during the journey, which he used to pay for his return trip to the Buccaneer's Sea, where he "continued to perform his exploits for a long time." He disappeared unexpectedly, at the height of his "fame," and his further fate remains another white spot in history. Most likely, he shared the fate of many pirates of that time, and his remains rest somewhere at the bottom of the sea...