Pirate François L'Olonnais, 1678- Jean-David Nau, better known as François l'Olonnais, was a French Pirate active in the Caribbean during the 1660s
Seven hundred pirates enlisted with l'Olonnais when he mounted his expedition, to the Central American mainland. In 1667, after pillaging Puerto Cavallo on the coast of Honduras, l'Olonnais was ambushed by a large force of Spanish soldiers while en route to San Pedro. Only narrowly escaping with his life, l'Olonnais captured two Spaniards. Exquemelin wrote:
"He drew his cutlass, and with it cut open the breast of one of those poor Spanish, and pulling out his heart with his sacrilegious hands, began to bite and gnaw it with his teeth, like a ravenous wolf, saying to the rest: I will serve you all alike, if you show me not another way".
Horrified, the surviving Spaniard showed l'Olonnais a clear route to San Pedro. L'Olonnais and the few men still surviving were repelled, and retreated back to their ship. They ran aground on a shoal, in the modern-day province of Panama. Unable to dislodge their craft, they headed inland to find food. They were captured by the indigenous Kuna tribe, which killed l'Olonnais. Exquemelin wrote that the natives:
"...tore him in pieces alive, throwing his body limb by limb into the fire and his ashes into the air; to the intent no trace nor memory might remain of such an infamous, inhuman creature".
At some point before his death he sailed briefly to Jamaica to sell off a prize ship. It was purchased in 1668 by Roc Brasiliano, who sailed with Jelles de Lecat against the Spanish alongside famous Pirate Henry Morgan.
PHOTO: Half-length directed to right but looking at the viewer, long hair, moustache and goatee, holding a sword, an attack of a coastal town in the background; illustration to page 47 of Alexandre Exquemelin's "De Americaensche © The Trustees of the British Museum- Red stamp on verso: '9 JY 60', indicating 1860 acquisition by the British Library. Transferred to the department from the British Library in 1889.