they had done in the Trinity. But the Dons had grown wise; corsairs were no longer rare or unexpected upon the Pacific, and a warm reception met the buccaneers at every town they visited. They took many prizes nevertheless, and we may be quite sure that no more cargoes of ‘tin’ were cast into the sea. “For several weeks they blockaded Panama, and while off this port they were reënforced by Captains Grogniet and L’Escayer, French buccaneers, who with two hundred Frenchmen and one hundred and eighty English had crossed the Isthmus. Shortly after, Captain Townley with one hundred and eighty buccaneers arrived by the same route, and a little later two hundred and sixty more French appeared. With a total force of nine hundred and sixty men, which Davis divided among ten captured ships, the buccaneers felt they were strong enough to withstand anything and impatiently awaited the arrival of the plate fleet from Lima. “But when, on May 28, 1685, the long-expected treasure fleet hove in sight the buccaneers’ hearts fell. For the Dons had been warned and instead of helpless galleons carrying the vast fortune in gold and bullion, the pirates saw, to their consternation, that the plate was convoyed by six great Spanish warships, six smaller sloops of war and two fire ships. The buccaneers had no mind to commit suicide and after firing a few defiant-shots at long range they very wisely pulled up anchors and sailed away, leaving the triumphant Dons to discharge their precious cargo in peace. “Arriving at the Island of Quibo, the buccaneers met still another party of pirates and almost at once dissensions arose between the French and British corsairs. As a result, Davis and his men sailed north, plundered Leon and Rio Lexa in Nicaragua, and, learning that a plate ship was due from Manila, they cruised along the coasts of Mexico and Central America awaiting its arrival. But they were not content to wait patiently and must needs raid the coastal towns, with the result that over sixty of Swan’s men were cut off and completely wiped out by a Spanish ambuscade. This was the most severe blow the pirates had ever received on the South Sea, and among the killed were several officers and the pilot, Basil Ringrose.