“Finding cajolery useless, Morgan at once hustled about to make the most of his time and to try to escape by force. A ship taken at Gibraltar was loaded with brimstone, powder, palm leaves soaked in pitch and other combustibles. Kegs of powder were placed under the dummy guns and dressed and armed logs were posed upon the decks to resemble buccaneers. Then all the male prisoners were loaded into one boat; all the women, the plate and the jewels into another; the merchandise and things of lesser value in a third. Then, all being ready, the little fleet set forth with the fireship in the lead. It was on the 30th of April, 1669, that the buccaneers started from Maracaibo on this desperate, dare-devil effort to escape, and night was falling as they sighted the three Spanish warships riding at anchor in the middle of the entry to the lake. Unwilling to proceed farther, Morgan anchored his boats, maintained a sharp watch and at daybreak hoisted anchors and headed directly for the Spanish ships. Realizing that Morgan was actually about to attempt to battle with them, the Dons hoisted anchors and prepared to attack. Manned by its courageous if villainous crew, the fireship crashed straight into the Spanish flagship and instantly its men threw grappling irons, binding their combustible vessel to the warship and then, touching match to fuses, took to the small boats. Before the Dons realized what had happened the fireship was a blazing mass; the powder exploding threw flaming tar and brimstone far and near; and in an incredibly short space of time the Spanish flagship was a seething, roaring furnace and, blowing in two, sank to the bottom of the lake. Meanwhile the second warship, fearing a like fate, was run ashore by its crew and was set afire by the Spaniards to prevent her falling into the buccaneer’s hands, while the third ship was captured by Morgan’s men. “But Morgan and his men were not out of the trap yet. The forts controlled the harbor entrance and, flushed with their easy victory over the ships, the buccaneers landed and attacked the castle. But they failed miserably in this and after heavy losses withdrew to their boats.