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
Next morning, being the third day, they all went ashore, except those
who were to keep the boats. To these Captain Morgan gave order, under
great penalties, that no man, on any pretext whatever, should dare to
leave the boats, and go ashore; fearing lest they should be surprised by
an ambuscade of Spaniards in the neighbouring woods, which appeared so
thick as to seem almost impenetrable. This morning beginning their
march, the ways proved so bad, that Captain Morgan thought it more
convenient to transport some of the men in canoes (though with great
labour) to a place farther up the river, called Cedro Bueno. Thus they
re-embarked, and the canoes returned for the rest; so that about night
they got altogether at the said place. The pirates much desired to meet
some Spaniards or Indians, hoping to fill their bellies with their
provisions, being reduced to extremity and hunger.
The fourth day the greatest part of the pirates marched by land, being
led by one of the guides; the rest went by water farther up, being
conducted by another guide, who always went before them, to discover, on
both sides the river, the ambuscades. These had also spies, who were
very dextrous to give notice of all accidents, or of the arrival of the
pirates, six hours, at least, before they came. This day, about noon,
they came near a post called Torna Cavallos: here the guide of the
canoes cried out, that he perceived an ambuscade. His voice caused
infinite joy to all the pirates, hoping to find some provisions to
satiate their extreme hunger. Being come to the place, they found nobody
in it, the Spaniards being fled, and leaving nothing behind but a few
leathern bags, all empty, and a few crumbs of bread scattered on the
ground where they had eaten. Being angry at this, they pulled down a few
little huts which the Spaniards had made, and fell to eating the
leathern bags, to allay the ferment of their stomachs, which was now so
sharp as to gnaw their very bowels. Thus they made a huge banquet upon
these bags of leather, divers quarrels arising concerning the greatest
shares. By the bigness of the place, they conjectured about five hundred
Spaniards had been there, whom, finding no victuals, they were now
infinitely desirous to meet, intending to devour some of them rather
than perish.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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