[Contents]CHAPTER VTHE TAKING OF SAN LORENZO“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.”“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished.“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena, Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and Central America and Mexico and[82]the Orient were brought, as well as the fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto Bello.“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan planned to do.“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers[83]from far and near. They came in ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670.“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns, seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to wring the last piece of eight from the people.“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón, Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive of sailors and boys,[84]by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four. Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of England.“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of Panama.“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached[85]St. Catherine, which Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor, demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give[86]no quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the Governor was overpowered.“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St. Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air. To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These totaled[87]four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan ordered the men into the country to secure provisions.“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But the buccaneers dared not turn back and face[88]Morgan, and so, although fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body. Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast, wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired it back into the fort.“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder, it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze. Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was beyond control, it reached a magazine,[89]and there was terrific explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them, soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall, carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more.“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water, while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the[90]men at the guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the breach.“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met, and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls, however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain, and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to be found.“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won victory—which had[91]cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of the taking of San Lorenzo.“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at the fort and with[92]one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his expedition.“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles, reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing, they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty men to guard the boats and[93]their retreat. After a long march they reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno. The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished, the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there, more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet, intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer:[94]That could they once experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had near at hand.’“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep.“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly from weakness and partly[95]owing to the rough character of the land, and to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead buccaneers.“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms, expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river, they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they wanted not.’“But a search revealed something to eat—a[96]few stray dogs and cats which they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned, although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers were killed and many wounded and[97]a few Indians fell, but seeing such overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country.“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts. Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from their beards to their middles.’“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the sky. Sounding their trumpets,[98]beating their drums, throwing hats in air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in preparation of an assault on the morrow.“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared, taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and, from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged.“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon. This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful[99]evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of the flames.”[100]
[Contents]CHAPTER VTHE TAKING OF SAN LORENZO“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.”“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished.“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena, Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and Central America and Mexico and[82]the Orient were brought, as well as the fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto Bello.“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan planned to do.“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers[83]from far and near. They came in ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670.“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns, seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to wring the last piece of eight from the people.“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón, Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive of sailors and boys,[84]by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four. Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of England.“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of Panama.“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached[85]St. Catherine, which Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor, demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give[86]no quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the Governor was overpowered.“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St. Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air. To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These totaled[87]four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan ordered the men into the country to secure provisions.“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But the buccaneers dared not turn back and face[88]Morgan, and so, although fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body. Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast, wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired it back into the fort.“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder, it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze. Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was beyond control, it reached a magazine,[89]and there was terrific explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them, soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall, carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more.“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water, while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the[90]men at the guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the breach.“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met, and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls, however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain, and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to be found.“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won victory—which had[91]cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of the taking of San Lorenzo.“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at the fort and with[92]one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his expedition.“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles, reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing, they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty men to guard the boats and[93]their retreat. After a long march they reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno. The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished, the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there, more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet, intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer:[94]That could they once experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had near at hand.’“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep.“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly from weakness and partly[95]owing to the rough character of the land, and to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead buccaneers.“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms, expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river, they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they wanted not.’“But a search revealed something to eat—a[96]few stray dogs and cats which they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned, although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers were killed and many wounded and[97]a few Indians fell, but seeing such overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country.“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts. Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from their beards to their middles.’“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the sky. Sounding their trumpets,[98]beating their drums, throwing hats in air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in preparation of an assault on the morrow.“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared, taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and, from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged.“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon. This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful[99]evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of the flames.”[100]
CHAPTER VTHE TAKING OF SAN LORENZO
“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.”“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished.“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena, Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and Central America and Mexico and[82]the Orient were brought, as well as the fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto Bello.“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan planned to do.“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers[83]from far and near. They came in ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670.“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns, seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to wring the last piece of eight from the people.“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón, Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive of sailors and boys,[84]by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four. Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of England.“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of Panama.“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached[85]St. Catherine, which Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor, demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give[86]no quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the Governor was overpowered.“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St. Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air. To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These totaled[87]four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan ordered the men into the country to secure provisions.“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But the buccaneers dared not turn back and face[88]Morgan, and so, although fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body. Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast, wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired it back into the fort.“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder, it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze. Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was beyond control, it reached a magazine,[89]and there was terrific explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them, soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall, carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more.“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water, while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the[90]men at the guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the breach.“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met, and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls, however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain, and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to be found.“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won victory—which had[91]cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of the taking of San Lorenzo.“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at the fort and with[92]one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his expedition.“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles, reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing, they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty men to guard the boats and[93]their retreat. After a long march they reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno. The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished, the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there, more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet, intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer:[94]That could they once experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had near at hand.’“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep.“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly from weakness and partly[95]owing to the rough character of the land, and to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead buccaneers.“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms, expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river, they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they wanted not.’“But a search revealed something to eat—a[96]few stray dogs and cats which they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned, although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers were killed and many wounded and[97]a few Indians fell, but seeing such overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country.“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts. Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from their beards to their middles.’“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the sky. Sounding their trumpets,[98]beating their drums, throwing hats in air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in preparation of an assault on the morrow.“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared, taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and, from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged.“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon. This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful[99]evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of the flames.”[100]
“Well, he certainly was clever for all his cruelty,” said Fred. “But what a beast he was. Seems to me he was the worst of all the buccaneers. Even L’Ollonois had some good points.”
“Yes,” agreed Mr. Bickford. “Morgan could have made a name for himself as a great general, or an admiral, perhaps, if he had turned his talents to honest purposes. But he was too much of a rascal and too unprincipled to succeed for long, even in piracy. When he returned from taking Maracaibo he believed there was nothing he could not successfully carry out and he began to consider taking even richer and more strongly fortified spots than those he had ravished.
“At that time the three richest cities in the New World were Cartagena, Panama and Vera Cruz, and of these the richest was Panama. To Panama all the wealth and treasure from the western coasts of South and Central America and Mexico and[82]the Orient were brought, as well as the fortunes in pearls from the pearl islands, and from Panama, as I have already explained, the riches were carried over the Gold Road to Porto Bello.
“But while Panama was so rich, yet it had been free from attacks by buccaneers owing to its position. It was on the Pacific and in order to reach it the buccaneers would be compelled either to sail around Cape Horn; cross the Isthmus overland, or ascend the Chagres River and then go overland. To cross by the Gold Road meant that the forts at Porto Bello would have to be taken, and even after that the buccaneers would be exposed to ambuscades and constant attacks and might well have their retreat cut off. At the mouth of the Chagres was a most powerful fort—San Lorenzo—commanding the river mouth, while Panama itself was very strongly fortified and protected. It seemed impossible that the buccaneers could ever reach the place and yet that was just what Morgan planned to do.
“Although it seemed a harebrained scheme, yet so famed had Morgan become that men flocked to his call, clamoring to go on the hazardous expedition, and Morgan appointed the Island of Tortuga as the rendezvous. Here flocked the sea rovers[83]from far and near. They came in ships, boats, canoes and even tramped overland across hostile Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) to join him, until the greatest crowd of buccaneers and the greatest gathering of buccaneer ships the world had ever seen were assembled at Tortuga on October 24, 1670.
“To provision the fleet, Morgan equipped four ships with four hundred men and dispatched them to La Rancheria near the present port of Rio de la Hacha in Colombia. His plan was for them to raid the coast towns, seize what maize and cattle were required and come back with supplies and salted meat, thus obtained free of cost. In this the ships were more than successful, for, at the end of five weeks, they returned laden with maize and beef and with a huge amount of loot, for they had taken a Spanish ship, had seized the town and had robbed it and the inhabitants, and had resorted to all their customary barbarities to wring the last piece of eight from the people.
“Everything was now in readiness, and Morgan set sail for Cape Tiburón, Haiti, where vessels from Jamaica were to join him. These brought his force up to thirty-seven ships and two thousand fighting men, exclusive of sailors and boys,[84]by far the greatest buccaneer force that ever had set sail to ravish the Spanish cities. Morgan’s flagship carried twenty-two large and six small guns, there were several ships of twenty, eighteen and sixteen guns and the smallest mounted four. Finding it impossible to command such a huge fleet by himself, Morgan divided it into two squadrons with a vice admiral, commanders and captains for each, and to these he issued elaborate commissions to act against the Spaniards, for all the world as though he were the King of England.
“The next matter to attend to was the agreement as to compensation for death or accidents, and the trip was considered so hazardous that the amounts to be paid were double the usual sums. Then the fleet set sail for Old Providence or, as the buccaneers called it, St. Catherine, for in order to be sure that his retreat was not cut off, Morgan realized he must destroy this heavily fortified spot and leave a garrison of his own in charge. Moreover, he knew that outlaws and brigands were imprisoned there, and that these men, if released, would join his forces and would be invaluable as guides in crossing the Isthmus of Panama.
“On the 29th of December, 1670, they reached[85]St. Catherine, which Morgan expected to take easily. However, since his former attack under Mansvelt, the Dons had greatly strengthened the forts. Landing about one thousand men, Morgan attempted to take the place by land, but the Spaniards kept up a galling fire, the buccaneers were without provisions—as they had expected to live off their enemies—and at night a pouring rain came on, drenching the buccaneers to the skin. At this time, so tired, hungry and miserable were the men that, had the Dons but known it, they could easily have wiped out the buccaneers with a force of less than one hundred men, and no doubt had they done so Panama would have been saved. The rain continued incessantly the next day and the buccaneers were able to do nothing. So starved and desperate were they that when an old horse was discovered in a field they instantly killed it and fought over it like wolves, devouring even the offal. By this time the men began to grumble, and even suggested giving up and became mutinous. Morgan, seeing that unless something was done at once his expedition would be a failure, resorted to his old game of bluff, and sent a canoe with a flag of truce to the Governor, demanding the surrender of the island and threatening to give[86]no quarter unless it was done at once. So terrified were the Dons that the Governor merely asked two hours to consider and at the end of that time sent to Morgan and offered to deliver the place provided Morgan would agree to carry out a deception by which it would appear that the Governor was overpowered.
“The proposition was that Morgan should come at night and open an attack on St. Jerome fort, while at the same time his fleet approached Santa Teresa fort and landed men at the battery of St. Matthew. The Governor was then to pass from one fort to the other and purposely fall into the buccaneer’s hands. He was then to pretend that the English forced him to betray his men and was to lead the buccaneers into St. Jerome. But he stipulated that no bullets should be used in the buccaneers’ guns and guaranteed that his men would fire into the air. To this treacherous scheme Morgan agreed and the island was of course taken in a sham battle. But within a short time His Excellency bitterly repented of his deed. The buccaneers looted right and left, they tore down houses to make fires for cooking the stolen poultry and livestock and they made prisoners of all the Spaniards on the island. These totaled[87]four hundred and fifty, including one hundred and ninety soldiers and eight bandits who at once joined Morgan’s force. As there was nothing in the way of valuables in the place the people escaped the customary tortures, and, shutting the women in the churches, Morgan ordered the men into the country to secure provisions.
“Having accumulated a vast supply of food, many tons of powder, immense quantities of arms and many cannon, Morgan prepared to attack San Lorenzo at the Chagres mouth. He had no mind to risk his own precious neck in this desperate venture, however; but making himself comfortable at St. Catherine, he dispatched four ships with about four hundred men under Captain Brodely, a notorious buccaneer who had served with Morgan under Mansvelt. Anchoring his ships about three miles from the mouth of the Chagres, Brodely landed his men and attempted to attack the castle by land. But despite their brigand guides the buccaneers discovered that it was impossible to approach the fort under cover, the country having been cleared for a long distance about the fort, while in addition the deep mangrove swamps made progress next to impossible. But the buccaneers dared not turn back and face[88]Morgan, and so, although fully exposed to the fire from the fort, they rushed across the open space with drawn swords in one hand and fireballs in the other, but the firing was terrific. The Dons had erected heavy palisades outside of the fortress walls, and presently the buccaneers were compelled to retreat. At nightfall, however, they made another assault, throwing their fire balls at the palisades, attempting to scale them and fighting like demons. But they were beaten off again and again, and their case seemed hopeless when, by the merest accident, fate played into their hands. In the heat of the assault, one of the buccaneers was struck by an arrow in the back, which completely penetrated his body. Mad with pain, the fellow drew the missile out through his breast, wrapped a bit of rag around it and, dropping it into his musket, fired it back into the fort.
“But the buccaneer’s hasty and unthinking act won the day for the corsairs. The cotton rag about the arrow caught fire from the powder, it fell unnoticed upon some palm-thatched houses within the fort, and ere the Dons realized what had happened the buildings were ablaze. Madly the Spaniards strove to quench the flames, but the fire was beyond control, it reached a magazine,[89]and there was terrific explosion. During the confusion and panic that ensued the buccaneers rushed to the palisades and, piling inflammable material about them, soon had them burning furiously. Presently the stakes began to fall, carrying down masses of earth that had been piled between them, and over these the yelling buccaneers swarmed to the assault. Under a rain of stink pots and fire balls, boiling oil and molten lead hurled at them by the garrison, the English fell everywhere, and at last, seeing they could not gain the inner works, they withdrew once more.
“But despite their losses they were elated, for the palisades were blazing everywhere and by midnight they were entirely consumed. When morning dawned only the charred and fallen stakes remained and great masses of earth had filled the ditch. The commandant, however, had stationed his men upon these mounds and both sides kept up an incessant fire of musketry. Within the castle the flames still raged, for the only available water in the fort was contained in a huge cistern in the lower part of the castle. Moreover, a party of the buccaneers was detailed to snipe the Spaniards fighting the fire and carrying water, while the others, hiding as best they could, picked off the[90]men at the guns and those guarding the fallen palisades. Noticing one spot where the Governor himself was stationed in command of twenty-five picked troops, Captain Brodely led a sudden charge and succeeded in taking the breach.
“Even the buccaneers were amazed at the valiant resistance they met, and, in his chronicles of the battle, Esquemeling particularly calls attention to the courageousness of the Dons. Once within the walls, however, the battle was practically won and, fighting hand to hand with pistols, pikes, daggers, swords and even stones, the British and the Spaniards battled furiously. Not a Spaniard asked for quarter; the Governor fell, fighting to the last, with a bullet through his brain, and when finally the few survivors saw that their cause was hopeless they leaped from the parapets into the river rather than surrender. And when the buccaneers found themselves masters of the fortress they discovered that of the three hundred and fourteen soldiers who had formed the garrison only thirty remained alive, and of these over twenty were seriously wounded, while not a single living officer was to be found.
“The buccaneers, however, were greatly troubled, despite their hard-won victory—which had[91]cost them nearly two hundred men—for the prisoners informed them that a party of volunteers had managed to steal from the fort, had passed through the buccaneers’ lines and had carried word of the attack and of Morgan’s coming to Panama. All plans of a surprise were now hopeless and realizing that quick work was necessary Captain Brodely at once sent a ship to St. Catherine bearing word to Morgan of the taking of San Lorenzo.
“Hastily lading his ships with provisions and the unfortunate prisoners he had taken, Morgan left a garrison of his own men in the strongest fort, burned the town, destroyed the other forts, cast the cannon into the sea and set sail for the Chagres. Eight days after the fall of the castle he arrived, but his men were so elated at seeing the British flag flying from the castle that they succeeded in running four of the ships onto a bar at the river’s mouth. One of these was Morgan’s flagship, and while all the goods and persons on the vessels were saved the ships were a total loss. As soon as he landed, Morgan ordered his St. Catherine prisoners to be put to work repairing the fort and setting up new palisades and, leaving a force of five hundred men at the fort and with[92]one hundred and fifty more upon his ships, Morgan set sail up the Chagres in small boats with a force of two thousand two hundred men. Thinking to be able to supply himself and his men with provisions taken from the Spaniards, Morgan carried practically no supplies and this very nearly caused the utter failure of his expedition.
“It was on the 18th of January, 1671, that Morgan left San Lorenzo in his five boats and thirty-two canoes, with several pieces of light artillery and all the pomp of a military organization, even to drummers and trumpeters. The first day they covered barely twenty miles, reaching a spot known as Los Bracos. But already the men were suffering from hunger and being cramped and crowded in the small boats. Landing, they went in search of food, but the Dons, having been forewarned, had fled, carrying with them or destroying everything edible, and the buccaneers were ‘forced to stay their bellies with a pipe of tobacco.’
“The following day they continued to Cruz de Juan Gallego, but, finding the river very low and choked by fallen trees, they were here compelled to forsake the boats and march overland, leaving one hundred and sixty men to guard the boats and[93]their retreat. After a long march they reached a spot on the river where canoes could be used, and with infinite labor the company was transported up stream to Cedro Bueno. The buccaneers were by now on the verge of starvation, but there was nothing to do but keep on, and at noon on the fourth day they discovered a settlement. But not a soul was there and not a morsel to eat, save a few crumbs of bread and a number of leather bags. Famished, the buccaneers fell upon the leathern sacks and devoured them. For an account of this I can do no better than read you Esquemeling’s narrative. He says: ‘Thus they made a huge banquet of the bags of leather which doubtless would have been more grateful unto them if divers quarrels had not arisen concerning who should have the greatest share. They conjectured that five hundred Spaniards had been there, more or less, and these they were now infinitely desirous to meet, intending to devour some of them rather than perish. Whom they would certainly in that occasion have roasted or boiled had they been able to take them. Some persons who were never out of their mothers’ kitchens may ask how these pirates could eat, swallow and digest those pieces of leather so hard and dry. To whom I only answer:[94]That could they once experiment with hunger, or rather famine, they would certainly find the manner, by their own necessity, as the pirates did. For these first took the leather and sliced it in pieces. Then did they beat it between stones and rub it, often dipping it in the water of the river to render it supple and tender. Lastly they scraped off the hair and roasted or broiled it over a fire. And thus being cooked they cut it in small morsels and eat it, helping it down with frequent gulps of water, which by good fortune they had near at hand.’
“And when night fell on the close of the fourth day and not a scrap of food had been found in any of the deserted settlements and camps, the pirate who had had the foresight to retain a small piece of leather was indeed a happy man, for the others went supperless to sleep.
“At noon of the fifth day they reached Barbacoas, where in a cave, the buccaneers, to their intense joy, discovered two sacks of meal, two jars of wine and some bananas. These Morgan divided among the men who were suffering the most, and somewhat encouraged they proceeded on that terrible march. On the sixth day the men proceeded very slowly, partly from weakness and partly[95]owing to the rough character of the land, and to keep themselves alive they devoured grasses, leaves and roots. But at noon they found a barrel of corn at a deserted plantation and without waiting devoured it dry and raw. Hardly an hour later they met an ambuscade of Indians, and feeling confident that they would be victors and would secure plentiful provisions they threw away the precious corn. But to their chagrin the Indians, after discharging a shower of arrows, disappeared like shadows in the forest, leaving no food and nothing to mark their presence save half a dozen dead buccaneers.
“On the seventh day the buccaneers prepared and cleaned their arms, expecting to meet resistance just ahead, and then, crossing the river, they hurried forward to the village of La Cruz. As they approached they saw smoke rising above the trees, and, convinced that this meant the place was occupied, they made all haste towards it. Judge of their disgust when they found the village deserted and in flames, with, as Esquemeling humorously remarks, ‘nothing wherewith to refresh themselves unless it were good fires to warm themselves, which they wanted not.’
“But a search revealed something to eat—a[96]few stray dogs and cats which they butchered and devoured raw and bleeding, and hardly had they completed this horrid repast when a party of the men found a sack of bread and sixteen jars of wine in the ruins of a stable. Scarcely had they commenced to eat and drink, however, when they were taken violently ill, and they at once decided the wine had been poisoned, although, as their chronicler very wisely says, it was more probable that it was ‘their huge want of sustenance in that whole voyage and the manifold sorts of trash they had eaten.’
“Whatever the cause, it compelled the expedition to remain there for an entire day. This village, then called La Cruz, was on the site of the present Las Cruces, the head of navigation on the Chagres and from which a branch of the Gold Road led to Panama about twenty-five miles distant. On the eighth day, Morgan sent forward a scouting party of two hundred men to find the best route and to learn of any ambuscades. This they did to their sorrow when, at Quebrada Obscura, they were met with a hurricane of arrows shot by Indians from hiding places in the deep forest on the summits of the cañon’s walls. A number of the buccaneers were killed and many wounded and[97]a few Indians fell, but seeing such overwhelming numbers of the British approaching they soon took to their heels, and the buccaneers passed on and entered the savanna country.
“Here they suffered greatly, being compelled to pass the night in the open in a pouring rain and enduring agonies from biting insects and mosquitoes. On the morning of the ninth day they came to a steep hill from the summit of which they saw the Pacific gleaming in the sun and with two ships sailing from Panama to Taboga. Elated at finding themselves so near their goal they hurried down the slope and in a little meadow discovered a number of cattle, horses and asses. Hastily butchering and dressing these they kindled huge fires, half cooked the still warm flesh over the flames and gorged themselves like beasts. Indeed, to once more quote Esquemeling, ‘they more resembled cannibals than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many times running down from their beards to their middles.’
“Continuing, they came at evening in sight of a party of two hundred Spaniards, who challenged them and then retreated, and before nightfall they saw the tower of the cathedral of Old Panama looming against the sky. Sounding their trumpets,[98]beating their drums, throwing hats in air; leaping and shouting with joy, the buccaneers, knowing the end of their awful march was over, pitched their camp for the night in preparation of an assault on the morrow.
“But the buccaneers were not to rest in peace. Fifty horsemen appeared, taunting and insulting the English just out of gunshot, and soon the big cannon of the forts began to thunder and roar and the shot fell all about the buccaneers’ camp. Soon thereafter a party of fully two hundred cavalry galloped across the fields from the town, and presently the buccaneers discovered that they were completely surrounded and, from being the besiegers they had been transformed into the besieged.
“But having done so much and survived, the rough corsairs gave no thought or worry to this and ‘began every one to open his satchel and without napkin or plate fell to eating very heartily the remaining pieces of bulls’ and horses’ flesh which they had reserved since noon. This being done they laid themselves down upon the grass with great repose and huge satisfaction, expecting only with impatience the dawning of the next day.’ Thus does Esquemeling describe that fateful[99]evening, the close of the day which foreshadowed the doom of the richest city of New Spain and which ere another sun set would be a blazing funeral pyre and a bloody shambles with the shrieks and screams of tortured beings rending the air and rising loud above the roaring of the flames.”[100]