Just sixteen days after my ink was dry the great bell in the church
of Nombre de Dios was calling men to complines as the sun went down.
So it might have boomed over the waving forest and darkening sea any
time the last fifty years or more. Yet I doubt if the people would
have doffed their broad hats, or crossed themselves so peacefully
to-night, had they known in what other ears it sounded besides their
own.
I doubt their prayers would have been more fervent that night had
they been aware how the stars, that just began to glimmer, were
looking down on four boats crowded with men, that were striking
a-hull and dropping their grapples hard by the mouth of the Rio
Francisco, scarce two leagues from the point of their bay.
Yet there we lay in our three pinnaces and the shallop, seventy-three
desperate souls, on the eve of our great attempt.
The ships and the rest of the men had been left behind, under Captain
Ranse, at the Isle of Pinos, twenty-five leagues away, and we had
come on, each man with the comrades he chose, as far as could be. I
was with Frank, Harry with Mr. Oxenham, the other pinnace being in
charge of John Drake, and the shallop under John Overy, the master of
the _Lion_. Everything had been done to encourage the more
faint-hearted, and we were most excellently furnished with muskets,
calivers, pikes, fire-pikes, targets, bows, and everything such an
enterprise could need, apportioned to each man according to his skill
and disposition.
Yet many a heart must have beat anxiously as we lay waiting for the
dark night, and would have done so still more had the mariners been
aware of all that their commanders knew. For at the Isles of Pinos
we had captured two small frigates from Nombre de Dios, wherein
certain negroes were lading planks. From these men, being very
kindly used, we heard that their countrymen, the Cimaroons, had
fallen upon the town and nearly surprised it but six weeks ago.
These Cimaroons were African negroes who, having risen against their
masters some eighty years ago, had fled into the woods, and now were
become two nations, that lived in the country on either side of the
way from Panama to Nombre de Dios, each under its separate king. For
defence against these people our prisoners told us soldiers were
expected from Panama and elsewhere, if they were not already come.
Nothing could have been worse for us; for now we knew that the town
would be on the alert, and perhaps full of soldiers. Yet, wishing to
make the best of a bad case, our captain freed these slaves and set
them ashore, that they might seek their countrymen and bear them a
good report of us, in case it might fall out that at a future time
the help of the Spaniards' enemies might be welcome to us.
We who knew these things kept them to ourselves, very thankful for
our increased force. Frank, I know, saw how ill this fortune was for
us, yet he was more cheerful and resolute than I had ever seen him
when he called the boats about him, that he might say his last words
to the crews.
'Come close,' said he, 'that I have not to speak too loud, and so be
heard by any negroes in the woods, whereby those in the town might
have notice of our coming, which I should much grieve at. For I am
loath to put them to all the charge which I know they would willingly
bestow for our entertainment, seeing that we come uninvited.'
Putting them thus in cheerful heart, he went on to tell them of the
vast wealth of the place, which was all open to them, seeing it was
unwalled and little defended. Then he spoke again of all his wrongs,
both at Rio de la Hacha and San Juan de Ulloa, and of the bitter
cruelties of the Spaniards to English mariners whom they caught in
Spain; and told them how he was now in certain hope of God's favour
to win a recompense for all these things, since it had been
vouchsafed to him to get so near his end utterly undiscovered and
with so excellent a crew of men like-minded to himself.
This cheerful speech much comforted us all, and I saw Harry and the
Sergeant lie back and go to sleep, being old hands at the work. But
I could not close my eyes any more than the greater part of the men,
who soon fell to talking of how strong such a place must be, till
Frank, seeing how things were going, called on Mr. Oxenham, who was
in the next boat to us, to tell the story of the founding of Nombre
de Dios, to keep the men from thinking too much.
'Well, my lads,' said he, sitting up on a barrel, 'it was the early
days of the Indies then, when Don Nicuese was named at Carthagena
governor, grand-admiral, captain-general, and I know not what
_braggadocio_ titles beside, of his new province of Veragua. With
750 men and a fine fleet he set sail, bragging, I doubt not, to his
Maestro del Campo, or whatever he was, Lope de Olano, of all that was
to come of it; yet ere he was half-way they say his whole force were
like to mutiny, because of his cruelty and harshness. To punish his
wickedness and tyranny, a _furicano_ burst on him in the midst of his
journey. The proud fleet was scattered past recall, and the haughty
governor cast away. What miseries of hunger and cold and weariness
he suffered none know, but at last he was found by Lope de Olano
half-starved, having no food but palm-tree buds and such like
wretched stuff, instead of all the dainties he had brought to fill
his belly. The only thing that was hot changed in him was his
cruelty and harshness, for never in all their sufferings would he
bend a jot to his men.
'All that was thus left of his navy came at last to a port which
Columbus had once discovered. A mariner who had sailed with the "Old
Admiral" said it was a fair place for a settlement, and conducted him
thither, getting curt thanks for his pains, you may be sure. The old
mariner was right; but he had forgotten the Indians, who so overdid
their welcome that Nicuese made haste to depart thence, leaving
twenty of his men behind.
'Baffled and sullen, he sailed on to the next port, where he
profanely cried, "In the name of God, let us stay here!" and hence
yonder town, that is to be ours to-morrow, was called "Nombre de
Dios." Then, having but a hundred men left out of his seven hundred
and fifty, he laid the foundation of his city; and here, for a while,
living miserably, without fit food or clothing, in wooden huts, he
resisted the constant assaults of the Indians, till thirty more of
his men were lost.
'They dared not stir beyond their camp for food, fever was slowly
eating out their hearts, and they were at the mercy of God, when one
Calmenaras, putting in to the bay, found them. They were then of all
men, it is said, the most miserable, being, as it were, dried up with
extreme hunger, filthy beyond all speaking, and horrible to behold.
'Yet through all Nicuese clung to his cruelty and harshness and the
King of Spain's commission. Calmenaras took pity on him, and carried
him to the new settlement at Darien, which as yet had no governor,
that he might be set over the people there. But when they came
thither the settlers remembered his tyranny and wickedness, and saw
by his demeanour that, though all else was dried up in him, yet the
devil was not. So they, being resolved to be rid of him, took an old
rotten brigantine, which they caulked with iron, and set their
would-be governor therein, with his seventy men, starved and
fever-bitten.
'In this, as their only hope of life, and being too sore sick to
resist, they sailed; and the sea alone, that tells no tales, knows
what their end was. Never more was a man of them heard or seen, and
Nicuese was called ever after _Desdichado_.'
'_Desdichado!_' cried Frank, as Mr. Oxenham ended his tale; 'and a
right name, too; for surely the Lord made him luckless and suffered
no angel to prosper him in his ways, because of his wickedness and
cruelty, and turned away His face from yonder town which he founded,
because He knew the wickedness that would be done there, and the
sinews of wickedness that would come thence. Yes, lads, the Lord has
deserted Nombre de Dios, and to-morrow, of His justice and mercy,
will deliver it into the hands of His people.'
Then one struck up that new Protestant ballad they loved so well:
'We will not change our credo
For Pope, nor book, nor bell;
And if the devil come himself,
We'll hound him back to hell.'
By this time it was dark night, and we gladly took to our oars again,
rowing hard under the shore, that we might not be seen of the
watch-house. So we continued till we recovered the point of the
harbour, and there we lay to again, to wait for the first gray of
dawn, when our captain purposed to deliver his assault.
It was still full two hours to wait, and I could see how anxious
Frank was as to how his men would get through them. For if it had
been hard to keep them from their talk before, it was doubly so now,
when no one might speak above his breath. Wearily an hour dragged
away, and the men were growing more and more uneasy, shifting about
and whispering a great deal as they watched nervously for the first
glimmer in the east.
'Would God it were day!' whispered Frank to me. 'How shall we ever
pass another hour of this? The poor lads' courage is oozing out at
their finger-ends with all this lingering.'
'See, see!' said I; for even as he spoke a faint gray streak appeared
on the horizon. 'There it is at last!'
'Never a bit, lad,' answered Frank; 'it is only the moon rising.
Still, it shall serve for dawn to-day. No one has seen the
sand-glass but I.'
There was a merry twinkle in his eye as he passed the word. 'Dawn,
dawn,' he said, in low tones. 'Out oars, lads; yarely now, and still
as mice, and God help our service.'
How pleasant was the dull rattle of oars after our painful silence as
we rowed round the point! All was gloom as we bore towards the town,
save for a few lights that twinkled here and there, and one that
moved slowly across the bay. As we came abreast of this we could see
in the growing moonlight that it was on board of a ship of some sixty
tons, which had just arrived. Her crew seemed soon to catch sight of
us and to take alarm at our numbers; for we saw them cast off their
gondola, which shot away immediately hard for the shore, like the
ghost of some evil monster.
'Not so fast, not so fast, my gallants!' cried Frank. 'Be not at
such pains on our behalf. Come, my lads, we must save them this
trouble, and carry the news ourselves. Now, smite for all that is in
you!'
The pinnace leaped under their sturdy strokes, and we headed to cut
off the gliding shadow from the shore. It was a sharp struggle, for
the Dons rowed well and their boat was light. Still, our sinews soon
told. Seeing they were beaten, they stopped irresolute, and then,
with some blaspheming cry, made over to the opposite side of the bay.
'What, so rude?' laughed Frank. 'Will you not stay to fling us one
little word of thanks for the labour we save you? Well, better
manners to you, and a fair good-morrow. And now, lads, hard for the
town!'
We could soon see it in the gloomy light, sunk snug amongst the soft,
forest-clad hills. I had hardly looked to see it so big; for, by the
few scattered lights that twinkled far apart, I judged it was at
least as large as Plymouth. As we drew near, a sandy beach showed
dimly before us, sloping down from the nearest houses, which were
scarce twenty yards from the water. There was no quay, nor any thing
but a half-ruined platform, on which stood six great pieces gaping at
us. Not a sign of life was to be seen, so without more ado we ran
our pinnaces aground and leaped out into the water undiscovered.
'Down with the culverins, my lads,' cried Frank, as quietly as might
be. With that a rush was made at the platform, but even as we
reached it up jumped a gunner, who must have been sleeping against
one of the pieces, and ran off screaming into the town before we
could stay him.
We could hear his cries die away amongst the houses, and then for a
few minutes all was again as silent as death. Still, we knew all
secrecy was over now, and we went to our work with a will. Culverin
and demi-culverin were tumbled off their carriages and rolled into
the sand, and then to our captain's sharp orders we set about our
other dispositions.
There was a good deal to be done, getting the arms from the pinnaces,
lighting our fire-pikes and matches, and getting into our companies.
All had been well ordered beforehand, yet, quick as we were, before
we had done we heard the troubled waking of the town.
First came a low confused sound, rather felt than heard, and then
scattered cries, with the brave blare of a trumpet. As the cries
spread in the murmur, now on this side, now on that, a light flashed
in the church tower, and the great bell began booming out a hurried
alarm. Now it seemed that drums furiously beaten were running up and
down. Farther and wider spread the cries, and louder rose the
murmur. A scream of some terrified woman went shrilly up, then
another, and another, and the murmur began to increase to the dull,
mingled roar of a multitude suddenly alarmed. Far and near the
clamour waxed. Shriek on shriek, and cry on cry followed incessant,
till at last the whole town was filled with that strange and terrible
sound which is like nothing else on earth; and above all boomed the
bell.
We were ready at last; so, leaving twelve to keep the pinnaces, we
hastened, as had been arranged, to the mount on the east side of the
town, which our captain had learned the year before it was their
intention to strengthen with sundry pieces of ordnance. This it was
necessary to our purpose that we should first hold with a party of
our men, so, leaving half our company, of whom I was one, to guard
the foot, Frank hastened up the hill with the rest.
He seemed a long time gone, as we stood inactive, listening to that
terrible tumult, of which we could see nothing, growing ever louder
and ever wider amidst the crowded houses, and the great bell booming
continually over all. Not a sound came from the mount above us, and
we could tell nothing of what was happening to our comrades.
At last we heard the clink of weapons coming down, and our captain
ran to us with all his men bearing the joyful news that no ordnance
had yet been mounted there, though all was prepared for it.
'This is a most merciful dealing of God,' said Frank, 'for now, look
you, we shall have all our men for the Plaza. Plague on them, how
they squall! We will give them somewhat to squall over anon. Jack,
take you Mr. Oxenham and fifteen of his company round by the King's
Treasure-House, by the way you know, and enter the Plaza by the
eastern end. I will go up with the main battle by the broad street.
Give them plenty of music of drum and trumpet, and I will do the
like, that they may see they are attacked from two sides, and
increase our numbers for us with their fears.'
Away went John Drake and Mr. Oxenham with their fifteen men, a drum,
trumpet, and five of the blazing fire-pikes. We saw them disappear,
yelling horribly, with much grizzly noise of their instruments, to
the no little discomfort, I doubt, of those who still slept.
In like manner we took our course by the lurid glare of our
fire-pikes, with an equal or greater din of trumpet, drum, and arms,
being forty-four men in all. The Plaza lay towards the upper part of
the town, so that on coming to the top of the street, which, being
very sandy, made us short of breath with our running, our captain
called a halt.
Creeping on under shelter of the houses, I got a sight within the
square. In the midst was a goodly tree, and near to it a
market-cross. Farther again to the right was the church, from which
the great bell boomed continually. From the cross to the church I
could see the glimmer of a long row of matches, by whose movement I
judged there was a company of harquebusiers gathered there waiting
for us, but I could see nothing of them because of the gloom that
filled the place.
In the farther corner to the left, where, they told me, the road to
Panama left the square, rose a house much larger than the rest. Here
by the light of sundry lanterns I could see a great throng collected,
with several companies of soldiers. I should think there were a
hundred matches or more burning there; wherefore, having made a
complete discovery of the Plaza, I crept back to inform our captain.
'Hark ye, my lads,' cried Frank, when he had heard my report. 'At
the word we will advance into the square. Mr. Overy's crew with the
gentlemen to the right, the rest with me to the left. Stand but for
one volley, and then close! Forward now, in God's name!'
A roar of small shot greeted us as we sallied into the square, and
the bullets tore up the sand amidst our feet. I saw our trumpeter
fall forward in the midst of a merry blast, and heard Frank utter a
sharp cry. But there was no time to see what was happening. Already
our arrows and bullets were making the Spaniards sing in the
left-hand corner of the square. I discharged my pistol with the rest
and then sprang forward by Harry's side, rapier and dagger in hand.
Straight at the line of matches we dashed. Every moment I looked to
see them belch their fire and hear a storm of hail about my ears.
Ten more strides and we should be amongst them.
'Plague on the fools!' cried Harry, who was leading.
'What mountebank dispositions are these?' cried the Sergeant at his
side.
Not a man was there. It was but a string of matches hung from the
church to the cross to terrify us, as if we had been Cimaroons.
'Back, back,' cried Harry, 'back to aid the general.'
With an angry roar at being so befooled we ran back under the broad
branches of the tree in the middle of the Plaza, and so leaped out to
help our comrades. Even as we did so I heard a volley at the end of
the square before me and saw John Drake and Mr. Oxenham, with all
their party, rush out into the Plaza and with a loud cry hurl
themselves at the throng.
Now we were all at hard push of pike crowding the amazed throng into
the corner of the square. Yet we had work to do, for the Spanish
soldiers held their ground well, in spite of the press. For a time
the thing seemed to hang in a balance. I remember little but a wild
turmoil, wherein I was at point and cut half mad with excitement, and
all around were the butt ends of muskets whirling, and pikes and
bills clattering, as they were thrust and parried.
My ears were full of the din of the fight, the shouts and clang of
weapons, and the screams of women flying out on the Panama road; and
still, above all, the great bell boomed unceasing.
Now they were giving way. Our twelve fire-pikes, being well armed
with long steel heads, were doing their work above all the rest.
None dared stand before the flaming weapons. Step by step they gave
us ground, till suddenly the press broke up, and, flinging down their
arms, they fell to running out of the Panama gate as hard as they
could skelter.
Away we went after them, driving them before us like a flock of
sheep. Continually they cast away their weapons, which at last lay
so thick that many of our men were hurt by them, not being able to
avoid them in the darkness. So we left them to scamper out by their
grand new gate, which they had set up to prevent the Cimaroons
entering, little thinking the first use they should find for it would
be to run out of to save their skins.
Being thus in possession of the Plaza our captain made haste to set
guards at the entrance of it, and sent a party to stay the bell,
which still boomed on through it all; for we knew not how many
soldiers might still be in the remoter parts of the town, to muster
at its noisy summons. Then he called on a prisoner whom we had taken
to lead a party of us to the governor's house.
'What do you think of our venture now?' said Frank to me, his face
beaming with triumph. 'Now you shall see where all the mules from
Panama are unladen, and what they bring.'
'That is well enough,' answered I; 'but will you not first look to
your hurt?'
'Hush, lad,' said he; 'it is nothing--a fly-bite.'
'Nay, but your boot is bloody where the shot tore it,' I said.
'I tell you it is nothing,' answered he testily. 'Hold your peace or
we are undone.'
I said no more, marvelling at the constancy of this man, who seemed
to think nothing of a hurt, which, as far as I could see, was enough
to have laid any other man on his back long ago.
By this time we were conducted to a great archway in the tall house
of which I have spoken, beneath which was tied a splendid jennet,
ready saddled, as though for the governor's use. On one side were
steps leading upwards, where candles burned and shed a bright light
into a large cellar on the opposite side. I could see it was a
chamber of great length, partly by aid of the candles and partly by
the moonlight that glimmered in. Along the whole length of one side
from floor to ceiling was a pale cold glimmer, which looked very
strange to me. Several of our men were staring at it with wide eyes
and mouths.
'What is it?' said I.
'What is it,' replied Frank; 'why, silver!'
I could hardly believe it, yet so it was, a pile of silver bars, as I
should judge, ten feet in breadth, twelve in height, and seventy in
length. I was altogether amazed to see my dreams of the Indies more
than realised, and hardly knew if I were waking or not, till I heard
Frank, who had been questioning our prisoner at length, cry out to us:
'Not a bar will I have touched,' said he. 'I brought you not here
for that rubbish. In the King's Treasure-House there is better
stuff--gold, lads, gold and pearls enough to fill all our pinnaces
and more. So thither must we go, and not a bar of this shall be
touched.'
I think there were many who would have been well satisfied with the
silver, and hardly came to obey Frank's orders, but he was so
resolute in them that there was nothing for it but to do as he said
and return to our strength, which was posted about the great tree
under command of John Drake.
As we neared them one came running out to say they could not break
into the church or stop the ringing unless they fired the building,
which they craved leave to do.
'Nay, that you shall not,' said Frank; 'by yea and nay have I sworn
never to injure church or woman, whatever come. Let him ring till he
bring a thousand devils about us, I care not; but fire the house of
God I will not, howsoever it be defiled with idolatry and
superstition.'
So the bell boomed on as loud as ever, being very distressful to hear
so long, and giving me at least a strange feeling of evil at hand,
which I would gladly have shaken off.
When we came to our strength many of the men, who seemed to have been
scattered about the Plaza, came running up to the tree. Amongst
these I marked Sergeant Culverin, and saw he had a gay silken sash
about him, though I took little note of it then, being more concerned
with another matter.
For we found most of the men in some alarm, for which I could not
blame them, having that ominous sound of the bell in their ears
continually. Moreover large masses of inky clouds were rolling up
over the town, as though that booming were a witchcraft which was
summoning some hellish means to overwhelm us. No wonder then, I say,
that some of us had a sense of coming danger.
It seems the first fear that beset them was for the pinnaces, since
they had heard shots down by the shore; and next for themselves, lest
they should be overwhelmed with soldiers and unable to escape, since
they had heard news from a negro that 150 small-shot and pike-men
were already come to the town from Panama. Therefore, to allay these
fears, our captain sent down his brother and Mr. Oxenham to the
pinnaces with their party to search into the matter, and then join us
at the King's Treasure-House.
'Thither we go now, lads,' cried Frank. 'They say it is strong, but
I think there be those here who shall find a way in, since we know
what its lining is.'
By this time all the stragglers, not a few of whom came from the
governor's house, were gathered in, and, much encouraged by our
captain's cheerfulness, we all went off to the King's Treasure-House.
But just as we neared the place the pall of louring turgid cloud that
overhung us was rent asunder. A dazzling flash of lightning lit up
the deserted town, and instantly an awful crash of thunder drowned
the noise of the bell. A few great drops fell heavily on the thirsty
sand, and then in a moment there fell on us such a deluge of rain as
none can picture who have not been in the tropical regions.
There was nothing but to run helter-skelter to cover, for the saving
of our powder and bow-strings. The nearest shelter was a certain
piazza or pent-house at the west end of the Treasure-House; and to
this we hurried, to find, for our no small comfort, that Captain John
Drake was already there with his party, whereby we knew the pinnaces
were safe.
The flare and crash of the storm was now almost unceasing, so that we
could only hear now and again the hissing roar of the rain. Seeing
that we had already suffered injury from the wet, and would have been
undone entirely had we left our cover, we were forced to wait where
we were till the storm abated. It was a great mishap that it fell
so, for at our present post it was by no means possible to get into
the Treasure-House, since on that side there was a wall of stone and
lime, very strong and without openings, over which we might have
broken our hearts entirely or ever we could have broken half-way in.
Thus we were forced to be idle, and stand listening to the awful
voices of the storm which the devilish spells of the Spaniards had
brought upon us. Many there who had never seen so sudden or terrible
a tempest could hardly be comforted by our captain's promise that it
would soon be past. Once more they began to talk together, harping
still on the strength of the place, on old stories of the mighty
witches there used to be amongst the Indians, and, above all, on the
report of the soldiers' arrival, which Jack and Mr. Oxenham had found
to be true.
'It was this way,' said Jack, as we gathered round in the pent-house.
'When we came down to the platform we found the pinnace men alarmed
for our safety, since they had heard so many shots, and parties of
harquebusiers had been continually running down to them, crying,
"_Que gente? que gente?_" "Then," said they, "we cried out we were
English, whereat the soldiers discharged their pieces blindly and ran
away." At last came a negro, who would not go away, though they
fired at him three or four times, but ever he cried out for Captain
Drake, and craved to be taken aboard. This at last they did, when he
told them of the 150 soldiers who had come to guard the town against
the Cimaroons.'
Not knowing how many might still be in the town, and being broken in
spirit, some with wounds and others with the terror of the storm,
they began to talk openly of the danger of staying longer.
'Look you,' cried Frank at last, 'what silly child's talk is this?
Did I not ever say I would bring you to the Treasure-House of the
world? Why, so I have. And do I not say I will bring you off safe?
Why, so, by God's help, I will. Is it not for this you have toiled
and endured so far? And now you are here at the door, will you run
away for fear of a few score of _braggadocio_ Spaniards, who are
shaking wellnigh out of their shoes for fear of you? Shame on you,
lads! whom I thought were like-minded with me, and resolved to grow
rich on these treacherous, false idolaters, come what may. Go all of
you who will, and when you get back to England, tell them Frank Drake
brought you to the mouth of the Treasure-House of the world, and you
were afraid to fill your pockets! Tell them that, and blame not me
if they cry you, "Out upon the fools!"'
Not a man stirred, though I think there were many had a mind to. It
was growing near dawn, and we knew that as soon as the Spaniards had
gathered their wits together, and found out how small a number we
were, they would return and make an end of us, if they could. It
fell very fortunately that the storm now began to abate, so our
captain, willing to save more murmuring and not desiring to allow the
Spaniards too much time to pluck up heart, gave the word to move.
'Stay you here, Jack,' said he to his brother, 'with Mr. Oxenham, to
break open the Treasure-House, and carry down all the gold and pearls
our pinnaces will hold. I with our strength will get back to the
Plaza, and hold it till we have despatched all our business, and
relieved these gallants of their great anxiety in keeping so much
treasure.'
As he spoke these cheerful words he stepped forward, and to our
horror rolled over in the sand. His two brothers had hold of him in
a trice, and Jack took his head on his knee. As I saw him lie
helpless there, so pale and death-like, and his blood flowing so fast
as to fill the very footprints we had made, it seemed that the great
bell, which boomed still its unceasing tocsin, was no longer sounding
an alarm or spell, but rather ringing out the knell of my friend's
heroic spirit.
'Frank,' said Jack firmly, though I could note a strange tremor in
his voice, 'you are sore hurt; you must come to the boats.'
'Not without the treasure,' answered our captain; 'not without
something for the lads. It is nothing; only a scratch, that made me
a little faint.'
'No, Frank,' said Joseph Drake, 'you are sore hurt. Your boot is
full of blood. You have lost enough to kill two men already. We
will have no more of it.'
Sergeant Culverin was now at our captain's feet. He had taken off
his gay silk scarf and was very skilfully tying up Frank's leg, to
stay the bleeding.
'My hearty thanks, Sergeant,' said Frank, very feebly. 'That is it!
Now I can walk and despatch our business.'
'That you never can,' said Jack, 'nor shall try neither. You must
come back to the boats, Frank.'
'No, Jack, I will not,' answered our captain, so low we could hardly
hear; 'not without gold for the lads.'
'Ay, but you must,' urged his brother. 'We will not stay another
moment for twice the gold in all the Indies. Your life, lad, is
worth more than that. What say you, mariners?'
The sailors all cried out that it was well said, that they had enough
already, and not another finger would they stir till they knew their
captain was past danger. So, in spite of all Frank's protests, his
two brothers raised him in their arms as gently as women, while the
Sergeant put a skilfully-contrived sling under his legs, that his
hurt might pain him less. So, recovering him a little with some
drink, we started to carry him down to the pinnaces.
Still he would not be content, though we said we would only take him
aboard to have his wound dressed and return. First to me, and then
to another he pleaded; but all gave one answer, that they would not
stoop to pick up gold if the street were strewn with it, so it
endangered his life a jot--not only out of their love for him, but
also in regard to the great riches he could bring them to if he lived.
This last reason eased his mind a little; but he was more grieved
than ever when our surgeon had searched his wound in the pinnace, and
told him it stood with his life not to go ashore again. Nor would he
be in anywise content till we had promised to take that bark which we
had seen before we left the harbour.
So as we rowed out whence we came the sun rose gloriously and the
bell ceased its clamour; and that most high and noteworthy attempt
against the Treasure-House of the world was ended.
For such, indeed, it was in my judgment; and, not to speak more, lest
modesty be strained, I hold that every partaker in it should deem
himself fortunate. Not only did we seventy men, under our unmatched
commander, take the town and hold it for nigh on two hours, but of a
surety we should have plundered a hundredfold more than we did had it
not been for our captain's most unhappy hurt, or even for that storm,
whereby we lost half an hour of time, as many think not without
reason, through the hellish spells of those who rang the bell.
The Spaniards made shift to set one of the culverins on its carriage
again before we were free of the haven, and barked at our heels a
bit, yet could they not prevent us taking the ship, which we did
without great resistance, and found it full of excellent wine, to our
great content. This we accepted with much thanks for their loving
care of us, and carried away to a certain island about a league to
the westward, which is called the Isle of _Bastimentos_, or Victuals,
and there we went a-land.