The Pirates of Panama: or, The Buccaneers of America; a True Account of the Famous Adventures and Daring Deeds of Sir Henry Morgan and Other Notorious Freebooters of the Spanish MainExquemelin, A. O. (Alexandre Olivier)
History
The Pirates of Panama: or, The Buccaneers of America; a True Account of the Famous Adventures and Daring Deeds of Sir Henry Morgan and Other Notorious Freebooters of the Spanish Main
Exquemelin, A. O. (Alexandre Olivier)
Buccaneers; Pirates; Spanish Main; West Indies -- History
The pirates perceiving the effect of the arrow, and the misfortunes of
the Spaniards, were infinitely glad; and while they were busied in
quenching the fire, which caused a great confusion for want of water,
the pirates took this opportunity, setting fire likewise to the
palisades. The fire thus seen at once in several parts about the castle,
gave them great advantage against the Spaniards, many breaches being
made by the fire among the pales, great heaps of earth falling into the
ditch. Then the pirates climbing up, got over into the castle, though
those Spaniards, who were not busy about the fire, cast down many
flaming pots full of combustible matter, and odious smells, which
destroyed many of the English.
The Spaniards, with all their resistance, could not hinder the palisades
from being burnt down before midnight. Meanwhile the pirates continued
in their intention of taking the castle; and though the fire was very
great, they would creep on the ground, as near as they could, and shoot
amidst the flames against the Spaniards on the other side, and thus
killed many from the walls. When day was come, they observed all the
movable earth, that lay betwixt the pales, to be fallen into the ditch;
so that now those within the castle lay equally exposed to them without,
as had been on the contrary before; whereupon the pirates continued
shooting very furiously, and killed many Spaniards; for the governor had
charged them to make good those posts, answering to the heaps of earth
fallen into the ditch, and caused the artillery to be transported to the
breaches.
The fire within the castle still continuing, the pirates from abroad did
what they could to hinder its progress, by shooting incessantly against
it; one party of them was employed only for this, while another watched
all the motions of the Spaniards. About noon the English gained a
breach, which the governor himself defended with twenty-five soldiers.
Here was made a very courageous resistance by the Spaniards, with
muskets, pikes, stones, and swords; but through all these the pirates
fought their way, till they gained the castle. The Spaniards, who
remained alive, cast themselves down from the castle into the sea,
choosing rather to die thus (few or none surviving the fall) than to ask
quarter for their lives. The governor himself retreated to the corps du
gard, before which were placed two pieces of cannon: here he still
defended himself, not demanding any quarter, till he was killed with a
musket-shot in the head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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