“That’s a great mistake,” Mr. Bickford assured him. “In nearly every case the Spaniards showed marvelous bravery and courage in resisting the buccaneers and in several instances their courage was absolutely heroic. Very often they refused to surrender until every man fell, and time and time again their commanders committed suicide when they found that resistance was hopeless. But they were fearfully handicapped. The buccaneers knew beforehand just what to expect and the strength of the garrisons, they usually attacked at night and they invariably surprised the Dons. The Spaniards had no idea how many men were attacking, and they were packed together in forts, stockades or towns, while the buccaneers could scatter, could seek the shelter of trees or buildings and were constantly on the move. Finally, the buccaneers were expert marksmen, trained woodsmen and were absolutely reckless of life and limb while, in addition, the Spaniards knew that the more valiantly they resisted the less quarter they would receive in the end. Perhaps there are no better examples of the Spaniards’ bravery than that shown by the garrisons of Porto Bello and of San Lorenzo, which were taken by Sir Henry Morgan, the most famous of the buccaneers.” “Oh, do tell us about him!” cried the two boys in unison. “Very well,” laughed Mr. Bickford. “But I’m afraid your ideals will be rudely shattered when you learn the truth of Morgan, and before I tell you of his most famous exploits let me ask you a question. Have you any idea how long Morgan was a buccaneer or how long his career of fame lasted?” “Why, no,” replied Jack. “I never thought about it, but I suppose it was years and years.” “I thought he was a buccaneer all his life,” declared Fred. Mr. Bickford smiled. “Nearly all the famous buccaneers led short lives and merry ones,” he said. “But of them all I think the famous Morgan’s career was the shortest. From the time he first came into notice as a corsair until he dropped out of sight was barely five years, and all his most famous or rather infamous exploits took place within a space of three years.” “Jiminy, he must have been a fast worker!” exclaimed Jack.