The blow was such a powerful one that the man's skull was broken, and he died the next day.
Captain Kidd's conscience seems to have been a good deal in his way; for although he had been sailing about in various eastern waters, taking prizes wherever he could, he was anxious that reports of his misdeeds should not get home before him.

Having captured a fine vessel bound westward, he took from her all the booty he could, and then proceeded to arrange matters so that the capture of this ship should appear to be a legal transaction.

The ship was manned by Moors and commanded by a Dutchman, and of course Kidd had no right to touch it, but the sharp-witted and business-like pirate selected one of the passengers and made him sign a paper declaring that he was a Frenchman, and that he commanded the ship.

When this statement had been sworn to before witnesses, Kidd put the document in his pocket so that if he were called upon to explain the transaction he might be able to show that he had good reason to suppose that he had captured a French ship, which, of course, was all right and proper.
Kidd now ravaged the East India waters with great success and profit, and at last he fell in with a very fine ship from Armenia, called the _Quedagh Merchant_, commanded by an Englishman.

Kidd's conscience had been growing harder and harder every day, and he did not now hesitate to attack any vessel.