Capt. Bully Hayes, ‘Last of the Buccaneers’

There was a time in the age of wooden ships and iron men when a ship’s captain was God, answerable only to his conscience—if he had one.

Sure, international maritime law banned the physical and mental abuse of seamen—but just try proving that in court, after the fact, with terrorized witnesses and, often, in a foreign jurisdiction.

Sad to say, some ship masters got away with brutalizing their crews (and sometimes their passengers) again and again. One of the worst was Capt. William Henry ‘Bully’ Hayes who, alas, lived up to his nickname all too often and too well.

He could be charming enough when it suited him—as it often did when he was trying to outwit his creditors and the law.

Next week, we explore the infamous Bully Hayes’s connection to British Columbia maritime history in the Cowichan Chronicles.

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PHOTO: The only known photograph of Capt. W.H. ‘Bully’ Hayes, 1827 (or 1829)-1877. —Wikipedia