JOHN PLANTAIN

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 181, 2 May 1925, Page 18

JOHN PLANTAIN

' THE PIRATE KING OF MADAGASCAR

John Plantain was vastly different from the great majority of English pirate Captains. He was a potentate. Successor to the ill-rewarded and possibly misjudged Kidd, and the audacious robber Avery, .and contemporary to England, Davis-and Roberts, he was, in, his youth, just another of those scourges of the Indian Ocean who lurked in waiting for the rich prizes to be taken from the just-developing trade route between India and Western Europe. But lie soon tired of that, and, before he reached the age of 30, was to become the King of Madagascar, the conquering warrior who conducted a two .years’ war to win a bride, and a coloniser of such genius that' he brought temporarviprospefity to a desolate place and laid the foundations of industries which still live on the great island Ivlng off the African coast. - Madagascar was the headquarters of several notorious conibina.tions of pirates, and Plantain was serving under Edward England when he made his acquaintance with the island, which was sparsely peopled with groups, of Malay origin under petty kings. The young pirate, with a Scotchman, Adair, find a Dane, Hans Burgen, decided to establish himself 011 the island. His share of England’s pirate spoils was sufficient to enable him to s;. up in regal splendour; his. numerous native -wives were (locked in silks and diamonds; he seemed to have, everything a pirate could wish. But the granddaughter of a neighbouring 1 tiler, King Dick, was not vet in his household, and he wanted her. This' girl was half English, and verv beautiful. ' King,Dick was not anxious to admit the ambitious pirate to the fatnih' circle, and rejected Plantain’s proposition that the girlshould be sent'to him. At once started the war which continued for two years, and which led to other wars, that kept the island in a state of turmoil* for sc 'era! more vears. Plantain, with 'd.air as his chief of state, and the Dane in support, rallied an army of 2100 men. and marching behind the Jims of England, Scotland, and Den-->-rk. descended, upon King Dick. The -enisling king-and his allies were rout-..-I- bnCthc war went on for two vears - ' fore Plantain captured and killed the king *md carried off Eleanor Brown, as the girl was called, to his castle. Her arrival was celebrated with a ' great feast, the young lady was clothed with

the richest jewels and diamonds, and Plaiutain gave her 20 girl slaves as attendants.

Success was intoxicating, and Plantain had some scores to pay off against those who had failed to stand by him. After spending a few months in organising his newly acquired territory, setting the natives to the methodical formation of sugar plantations,-he resumed his campaigns. Prom tlie subordinate chieftains, who were appointed with .due ceremony, he exacted taxes. It was their responsibility to set that the lands were properly cultivated, and numerous 'agricultural enterprises were set in hand. Thus Plantain had provisions in plenty for his warriors, and when he added to his resources a few old cannon taken from wrecked pirate ships, most of the other petty kings were soon forced to submission. Did his soldiers show signs of tiring, a few were tortured as an example, and so excellent discipline was maintained. In three years he had routed all who opposed him, burned . (he towns which offered resistance, tortured to death rival kings and Englishmen found in the camps, and .shipped off all his prisoners as . slaves. He was admittedly King of Madagascar. Viceroys were-appointed to the more important provinces, and chieftains given charge of smaller areas. 'Flic island was completely under his domination, and agricultural industries began to prosper. But Plantain tired of his triumph; being an unchallenged king bored him. He set his men to work on a sloop,-loaded the little vessel with his portable treasures, took his wife, whom he now called Nelly, and quietly slipped, away from his own domain. Mr. Archibald Hurd, who traces the extraordinary record of John Plantain in his book, “The Reign of the Pirates,” has been unable.to gather any evidence of the ultimate fate of this surprising personality in the gallery of sea rogues. All that is known is that he raided the island of Johanna, relieved a ship of some stores, and then set sail for India. There he fell in with a famous native potentate and pirate, Angira, who welcomed him as a useful subordinate, and later made him admiral of his fleet. Perhaps Plantain finallv deposed Angira and became again a king. But his doings after becoming admiral cf the fleet arc wrapped in mystery.—" The Age.” /