stroke or two occasionally to guide themselves, they reached the
extremity of the wharf, where they found a flight of steps at which they
landed. Here, in obedience to an order from George, the remainder of
the party crouched well below the level of the quay, while their leader
cautiously climbed the steps to reconnoitre. A single glance sufficed
to show that the whole length of the quay in sight--nearly half a mile--
was deserted, while not a light was to be seen in any direction. This
latter circumstance, however, was presently accounted for by the fact
that all the buildings facing the wharf were evidently warehouses, for
the most part one-storey buildings with broad verandahs reaching out
before them, undoubtedly for the purpose of protecting the workers from
the terrific heat of the mid-day sun. Now, however, under the moon's
rays, those verandahs, many of them cumbered with bales and cases of
merchandise, cast a deep, almost opaque shadow, of which George
instantly determined to avail himself; therefore, beckoning to his
followers, he made a dash across the staring moon-lighted quay to the
nearest verandah, and in less than three minutes all hands were huddled
in the deep shadow of a pile of bales.
Thus far all had gone well, they were actually in the city of Panama,
with never a soul a penny the wiser; and George felt that, having
accomplished so much, it would be strange indeed if he could not carry
the whole of his plans to fruition. But, great as their peril had been
already, that peril had, after all, been merely that of discovery; now
it was infinitely greater, for there they were, fourteen naked
Englishmen, unarmed save for a knife which each carried in a sheath
strapped to his waist, in a hostile city where, if they should be
caught, they might be certain of either the galleys--or worse still--the
Inquisition. Meanwhile, however, there seemed little immediate fear of
either as George peered out from his hiding-place and intently scanned
the length of the quay. As has been said, not a single living thing was
visible, but there were several craft moored alongside, small vessels
mostly, such as coasters, fishing craft, and lighters; but probably a
portion at least of the crews of these craft lived and slept aboard
them, and a restless man coming up on deck for a breath of fresh air at
an inopportune moment might suffice to ruin everything.
Cautiously George emerged from his place of concealment, flitted across
the width of the quay, and peered over its edge. He looked down upon
three clumsy, half-decked fishing craft, apparently deserted, but quite
unfit for his purpose. Beyond them was a tier of heavy lighters moored
three abreast, with nobody aboard them, and beyond them a small coasting
craft with hatches on, and her cabin and forecastle doors, as well as
her skylights, closed. Nobody aboard her, certainly. Glancing around
him, and signalling his unseen companions to follow him up, he ran along
the edge of the quay until he had passed the coaster, when he found
himself close to several tiers of lighters, all moored three abreast,
beyond which were two small coasters, moored one outside the other, then
more lighters, and a whole crowd of fishing craft. Swiftly George sped
along past these, glancing continually about him to assure himself that
he was unobserved and that his people were following him, and at length
he came to where a large caravel was lying moored to the quay, with all
her boats in the water alongside her. Here was what he wanted at last,
and pausing but an instant to beckon his companions, he sprang from the
quay into the vessel's main rigging, and from thence noiselessly made
his way to her deck. Less than half a minute later his thirteen
companions stood beside him.
Collecting his followers round him with a wave of his hand, Saint Leger
rapidly issued his instructions. He had already satisfied himself that
the boats alongside contained everything that he required in the way of
equipment, therefore, all that was necessary was to take possession of
them and get away from the parent craft without alarming any of the crew
who, he judged from certain evidence, were asleep below--therefore at
the conclusion of his few brief orders his followers slid one after the
other down the side of the caravel into the boats, taking the utmost
care to make no sound, and when they were all down, George cast off the
painters, one after the other, and dropped their ends into the hands
outstretched to receive them, finally climbing down into the largest
boat and signing to his followers to shove off. This was done with the
bare hands, hence there was no rattle of oars, nor even the faintest
plash of water, for once adrift, the boats were carried slowly down the
harbour by the current.
There were four boats in all, the largest being the caravel's pinnace, a
craft pulling twelve oars, and the other three boats were made fast in a
string behind her. But these four boats were insufficient for George's
purpose, since they would accommodate scarcely three-quarters of his
entire party, with their baggage, weapons, and ammunition, therefore
other craft were needed, and these they at once proceeded to look out
for as the boats drifted slowly to seaward. The drift was exceedingly
slow, much too slow indeed for George's impatience, and he commented
upon it in a whisper to Dyer who was sitting in the stern sheets beside
him. The pilot looked about him for a moment and then, whispering back,
hazarded the opinion that the tide was about to turn, if indeed it had
not already done so, and that the young flood would be setting up the
harbour within the next half-hour, indicating his reasons for arriving
at such a conclusion. This, and the fact that a light south-easterly
breeze was beginning to make itself felt, suggested an idea to the young
captain which he communicated to Dyer, and the latter approving, they
decided to adopt it at the earliest opportunity. And that opportunity
was not long in coming, for they had scarcely drifted a quarter of a
mile down the harbour when they came abreast of a large building
opposite which some forty or fifty boats of all sizes were moored, some
of them being rowing boats while others were rigged for sailing. Using
a pair of oars paddle-wise, the little flotilla of boats was skilfully
guided toward these, and a few minutes later they were alongside and
made fast. Three good roomy boats were quickly chosen from among these
and secured, and then the whole seven were secured together in a string.
Then one of the larger sailing-boats was cast adrift, the string of
rowing boats, each with a man in her, was made fast astern, and the
sailing-boat was pushed off. And now came what was perhaps the most
critical moment of the enterprise; for although they had thus far seen
no one there was no doubt that many men were sleeping aboard the various
craft in the harbour, and the slightest suspicious sound might awaken
somebody and at once cause an alarm to be raised. Still, a certain
amount of risk had to be run, and George decided to take it at once.
The sailing-boat was therefore skilfully manoeuvred to the middle of the
harbour, her bows turned up stream by a few quick strokes of an oar, and
then, with the observance of the utmost precaution, her single sail was
set with only a very slight momentary rustling of the loosened canvas.
A few seconds later the halyard was made fast, the sheet was trimmed
aft, and the boat, with the string of seven in tow astern, began to move
slowly and silently up the stream.
To George it seemed as though that short voyage would never end, for by
the time that they had secured the full number of boats required, the
adventurers had drifted nearly a mile down the harbour, and the whole of
that distance, and something more, had to be retraced before they could
consider themselves safe from discovery, while it was practically
certain that if so much as a single person should get sight of them the
alarm would at once be raised; for the spectacle of a sailing-boat with
seven rowing boats in tow proceeding up the river at that hour would be
sufficiently remarkable to instantly arouse suspicion. But after some
twenty-five minutes of tense anxiety the little flotilla rounded a bend
in the stream and the worst of the danger was past, while another twenty
minutes brought them up abreast the bamboo clump where their comrades
and the Cimarrones were anxiously awaiting them.
And now all was bustle and activity; the boats were brought alongside
the bank of the stream, and while their captors scrambled ashore and
hastily resumed their clothing, armour, and weapons, the other
contingent, assisted by the Cimarrones, carefully stowed their
belongings in varying proportions in the several row-boats. By the time
that this was done, their companions were once more clothed, and all was
ready for a start. Then fervent farewells were exchanged between the
English and the Cimarrones, Lukabela faithfully promising to keep an eye
upon the _Nonsuch_ and see that nothing untoward happened to her during
the absence of her crew, while George on his part as faithfully promised
that, upon his return, his faithful allies should be munificently
rewarded for the very valuable assistance which they had rendered.
After the Cimarrones had unwillingly departed, George mustered and
inspected his followers, satisfied himself that all were present and
that their weapons were in good order and ready for instant service,
made them a good rousing speech--in response to which they were with
difficulty restrained from cheering, and finally told them off, one by
one, to the particular boat in which each man was to go. The boats were
now all arranged in a string, as before, in tow of the sailing-boat,
and, with the crews lying _perdu_ in the bottom of their respective
craft, the entire expedition got under way and proceeded down the river.
Meanwhile, the weather had undergone a certain change. The wind which
an hour earlier had scarcely sufficed the sailing-boat, with the row-
boats in tow, to stem the current of the stream, was now piping up a
merry breeze, fresh enough to drive the flotilla along at a speed of
fully three knots, while heavy masses of cloud were sweeping up from the
south-east, obscuring the moon for frequent and lengthening intervals,
both of which circumstances were in the adventurers' favour. Despite
the fact that the tide was now distinctly against them, the flotilla
made such excellent progress that within half an hour of starting they
were again abreast of the town, hugging the face of the quay as closely
as possible in order to reduce their chances of detection. Half-way
down the harbour they passed a galley--undoubtedly the galley which had
served as escort to the galleon in the roadstead--moored alongside the
quay, and George felt sorely tempted to dash alongside and take
possession of her. But there was scarcely one chance in a thousand that
this could have been done without raising an alarm of some sort; it was
too much to hope that a surprise should be so complete that no shout
should be raised by any one of her startled crew, no shot fired, no
clash of weapons disturb the silence of the night; and an alarm at this
stage of the proceedings would ruin the whole of his carefully laid
plans therefore, although the young captain gazed long and wistfully at
the formidable-looking craft as he swept past, he bit his lips and kept
silence, holding the bows of the sailing-boat now pointed steadily
toward the distant galleon.
At this moment a great black cloud drifted up athwart the half-moon,
shutting off her light and causing a darkness to fall upon the scene
that, for a few seconds and until the eye grew accustomed to it, seemed
almost Egyptian in its intensity, while the breeze freshened to such an
extent as to careen the sailing-boat gunwale-to and nearly double her
speed through the water. Her slight timbers creaked and groaned with
the increased pressure put upon them by the heavy drag of the boats in
tow, and Dyer laid his hand apprehensively upon the painter of the
leading boat, strained as taut as a bar; but it was no time for
vacillation, the obscurity and the increased strength of the wind were
almost worth men's lives at such a moment, and George, who was tending
the boat's mainsheet, hung on to every inch of it, like grim death.
Once, as they went foaming close past a cluster of small traders, moored
three abreast alongside the quay, just as his eyes were becoming
accustomed to the sudden darkness, George thought he saw a man's head
suddenly appear above the rail of one of them, and was almost certain
that a moment later he heard a faint hail, but he took no notice of it
beyond inquiring of Dyer whether he had heard anything--to which the
pilot replied in the negative; and five minutes later they were clear of
the harbour and all danger of detection was for the moment at an end.
The galleon, tall and stately, was now distinctly visible, riding head
to wind, with a single anchor down, her three poop lanterns lighted, and
a lantern glimmering under the heel of her spritsail mast and straight
toward her sped the flotilla of boats, threshing through the short,
choppy sea raised by the freshening breeze and throwing the spray in
heavy showers over their crews. George, no longer afraid of his voice
being heard, hailed the crew of the leading boat, ordering them to
protect the priming of their weapons from the spray, and to pass the
caution along the line, and then directed his attention to the galleon.
Another quarter of a mile, and the time for action had come. With a
warning shout to the boats astern, he gave orders for the sail to be
lowered, and a minute later he and his crew had transferred themselves
to the largest row-boat, the sailing-boat that had served them so well
was cast adrift, the painters were cast off, and the boats, each now a
separate entity, formed in line abreast and, with muffled oars, gave way
for the galleon, their crews not hurrying themselves but pulling a long,
steady stroke that enabled them to husband their strength for the
struggle that probably lay before them.
Shaping a course that would carry them about a hundred yards ahead of
the galleon, the flotilla, as soon as they reached this point, separated
into two divisions, larboard and starboard, and turning head to wind,
laid in their oars, all but a single pair to each boat, and while the
men manipulating these two oars guided their respective craft in such a
manner as to cause them to drive gently down before the wind and sea
alongside the galleon, the remainder of the boats' crews looked to their
weapons and made ready to climb the vessel's lofty sides, intently
watching meanwhile for any indication that their approach had been
detected by the Spaniard's crew. But nothing was seen, no warning shout
was heard, no head showed peering curiously over the head rails, in fact
everything seemed to point to the fact that the watch was asleep, if
indeed a watch was being kept at all, which the Spaniards would be
likely to regard as quite unnecessary in waters where hitherto no enemy
had ever appeared.
A few minutes more of patient, carefully managed drifting, and the boats
were skilfully manoeuvred alongside, one after the other, and then, at a
low whistle from the young captain, the adventurers went swarming up the
towering sides of the galleon, as noiselessly as a drifting mist wreath,
and in over the lofty bulwarks, in the shadow of which they formed up,
bare-footed, as they came. Within a minute all hands, with their scanty
baggage, were out of the boats, and the latter were cast adrift, while
thus far not a Spaniard had been seen. Then, choosing half a dozen men
to follow him, and directing Dyer and Basset to form the remainder into
a strong guard over the hatchways, George led the way aft into the poop
cabins.
The first apartment visited was the grand saloon, a fine, spacious,
lofty apartment of the full width of the ship, most sumptuously
furnished and decorated, lighted during the day by three large ports on
either side, and a skylight overhead--all now open to admit the
comparatively cool night wind--and during the night by a large and very
handsome silver lamp suspended from the beams. That lamp was now
burning, but turned low; and George's first act was to turn it up so
that he might have the advantage of its full illumination to look about
him. The walls and bulkheads were decorated with a number of pictures
that to the eye of the unsophisticated young Englishman looked no more
than merely pleasing representations of landscapes and shipping, but
several of them bore as signatures names that are now world famous,
while some of the paintings which Saint Leger regarded as hardly worthy
of a second glance to-day adorn picture galleries, the contents of which
are reckoned of incalculable value. The furniture was elegantly carved
and richly gilt, the upholstery was of velvet and silk; a guitar gaily
decorated with ribbons lay where it had been carelessly placed upon one
of the divans, with a pair of beautifully embroidered gloves near it;
and the after-bulkhead supported a splendid trophy of weapons,
conspicuous among which was a magnificent sword with a gold hilt and a
Toledo blade elegantly damascened in gold.
A door in this bulkhead showed that there was another apartment on the
other side of it, and to this door George strode and, sword in hand,
flung it open, holding himself ready for a sudden attack by the
occupant. But the room--which was a large state-room, as handsomely
furnished as the grand saloon--was untenanted; and then George suddenly
remembered that upon the arrival of the galleon he had seen several
people leave her in the galley, and it now began to dawn upon him that
those people must undoubtedly have been the captain and principal
officers of the ship, who, in accordance with the Spanish fashion of the
times, had no doubt regarded their duty as at an end with the letting go
of the anchor, and had accordingly gone ashore to celebrate the
successful completion of the voyage. And so upon further inspection it
proved, not a single officer of any description being found in the after
part of the ship, which, by the way, proved to be named the _Cristobal
Colon_. As regards the remainder of the crew, a cautious reconnoitre
revealed the fact that they were all sleeping more or less soundly in
their stifling quarters on the lower deck, and this ascertained, it was
not difficult to arouse them by a sudden call of "All hands on deck!"
They came, stumbling, grumbling, execrating, and still more than half
asleep, up through the hatchways, and as they came, unarmed, they were
carefully herded upon the fore part of the deck where, when all hands of
them had appeared, they were placed under the guard of a strong body of
Englishmen armed with loaded muskets, and told with pithy succinctness
that the first man who attempted to move without orders would be shot
down. Then, led by Dyer and Basset, a small party of Englishmen went
below and made a thorough search of the ship, securing everything in the
shape of a weapon that they could find, after which a large store-room
below was hastily cleared out, and the Spanish crew temporarily but
securely confined therein.
And thus, without the shedding of a single drop of blood, George Saint
Leger and his sturdy Devonians came into possession of the biggest
galleon then afloat on the Pacific at the moment when she bore the
richest cargo that had ever left Lima in a single bottom.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
HOW THEY FOUGHT THE GALLEY.
By the time that all had been made secure aboard the galleon it was
within an hour and a half of sunrise, and Saint Leger knew from his own
feelings that his followers must be beginning to experience the
fatiguing efforts of their strenuous and exciting night's work; he
therefore told off four of the most trustworthy of the men to observe an
anchor watch, under Dyer, and ordered the remainder of the crew to go
below and snatch a couple of hours' rest, that they might be the better
fitted to cope with the events of the coming day, which might well be of
such a character as to tax their energies to the utmost. Then,
accompanied by William Barker the gunner, and two men bearing lighted
lanterns, he went below to inspect the ship's magazine--the keys of
which he had found in the captain's state-room--and to take stock of the
nature and quantity of the ammunition therein. This was found to be
abundant, the magazine being indeed packed full of powder and matches,
while a generous supply of shot of all descriptions, including bar and
chain, was discovered in the adjacent shot lockers, much to the young
captain's relief, for his chief anxiety had been lest, after having
taken the galleon, he should find himself hampered by a lack of the
means to keep her. As for small arms, such as arquebuses, pistols,
pikes, axes, swords, bows--long and cross--arrows, and bolts, a full
supply for a much stronger crew than his own had already been found,
irrespective of the well-tried weapons which they had brought with them
across the isthmus. George's mind was therefore now at rest, so far as
matters of the greatest importance were concerned; he therefore
concluded his inspection and returned to the deck, easy in mind and
greatly elated at the wonderful success which had thus far attended his
bold dash upon Panama.
The new day was heralded by the sudden appearance of a fleet of some
seventy or eighty fishing-boats and canoes coming out of the harbour and
hastening toward the fishing grounds in the offing. Several of these
small craft passed quite close to the galleon, and the sight of them
inspired George with an idea. Making his way from the poop down into
the grand saloon, he rummaged about until he found writing materials,
when he sat down at the table and after some consideration penned the
following letter:
"On board the galleon _Cristobal Colon_.
"August 19th, in the year of Our Lord 1569.
"To his Excellency Don Silvio Hermoso Maria Picador
"Calderon,
"Governor of the City of Panama, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
"Illustrious Senor.
"On the fourth day of this present month I arrived at the city of Nombre
de Dios upon a mission the purpose of which was to secure the release of
seventeen Englishmen who were last year made prisoners in the course of
a treacherous and unjustifiable attack upon the fleet of Admiral Hawkins
while, in pursuance of an agreement between himself and His Excellency
Don Martin Enriquez, the Viceroy of Mexico, he was refitting his ships.
"I have traced those seventeen prisoners in the first instance from San
Juan de Ulua to Nombre de Dios; and upon my arrival at Nombre I was
informed by His Excellency Don Sebastian de Albareda, the Governor of
the city, that they had been dispatched to Panama. Whereupon, at my
request, Don Sebastian was so obliging as to address a letter to Your
Excellency, informing you of the purpose of my visit, and requesting you
to take whatever steps might be necessary to secure the immediate
release of those seventeen Englishmen and their surrender to me.
"In due course Don Sebastian received your reply to his letter, and that
reply he permitted me to read. From it I regretfully learned that Your
Excellency categorically refused to accede to Don Sebastian's most
reasonable request, notwithstanding the fact that the city of Nombre was
then in my hands and at my mercy, and that, for all you knew to the
contrary, your refusal would involve it in all the horrors of sack and
destruction.
"Your Excellency, I am not so inhumane as to punish the innocent for the
faults of the guilty, therefore since Don Sebastian had obviously done
everything in his power to further the success of my mission, and had
failed, not through his own fault but because of your obstinacy, I
spared Nombre, and determined to try what personal persuasion might
effect with yourself. Accompanied by my followers, I set out for
Panama, where we arrived last night. And in the early hours of this
morning I took the first step toward reaching satisfactory terms with
Your Excellency by capturing the _Cristobal Colon_, now riding at anchor
in Panama roadstead.