The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3Whymper, Frederick
History
The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3
Whymper, Frederick
Adventure and adventurers; Arctic regions; Ocean; Voyages around the world
“The prisoners being all dead but two (whom they reserved to show them
what they desired), they marched hence to the town of San Pedro, or St.
Peter, ten or twelve leagues from Puerto Cavallo, being three hundred men
whom Lolonois led, leaving behind him Moses Van Vin, his lieutenant, to
govern the rest in his absence. Being come three leagues on his way, they
met with a troop of Spaniards, who lay in ambuscade for their coming;
these they set upon with all the courage possible, and at last totally
defeated. Howbeit, they behaved themselves very manfully at first, but not
being able to resist the fury of the pirates, they were forced to give way
and save themselves by flight, leaving many pirates dead in the place,
some wounded, and some of their own party maimed by the way. These
Lolonois put to death without mercy, having asked them what questions he
thought fit for his purpose.”
There were still some five prisoners not wounded; these were asked by
Lolonois, if any more Spaniards remained farther on in ambuscade? They
answered there were. Then, being brought before him one by one, he asked
if there was no other way to the town but that? this he did to avoid those
ambuscades, if possible. But they all constantly answered him they knew
none. Having asked them all, and finding they could show him no other way,
Lolonois grew outrageously passionate, so that he drew his cutlass, and
with it cut open the breast of one of those poor Spaniards, and pulling
out his heart began to bite and gnaw it with his teeth, like a ravenous
wolf, saying to the rest, “I will serve you all alike if you show me not
another way!” The poor wretches promised to show him another way, but
averred that it was a most difficult route. He tried it and found that
they were right. He was so exasperated that he swore the horrible
oath—_Mort Dieu, les Espagnols me le payeront!_ Next day he kept his word,
for meeting an ambuscade of Spaniards, he attacked them with such fury
that few remained to tell the tale. The Spaniards hoped by these
ambuscades to destroy the pirates in detail. Later he met another and a
stronger party, more advantageously placed, but the pirates attacking them
with much vigour, and using fire-balls in great numbers, forced the
remnant to flee leaving the larger part killed and wounded. There was but
one path that led to the town, and this was very well barricaded, while
the settlement was surrounded by planted shrubs of a prickly and pointed
nature, probably something of the cactus variety. The Spaniards, posted
behind their defences, plied the pirates with their artillery, and were
answered with showers of fire-balls; the latter were for the present
unable to advance. A second attack was made, the pirates’ orders being not
to fire until very close to the enemy; and in this they were successful,
as every shot told. The conflict continued raging till night, when the
Spaniards hoisted the white flag and desired to parley, the only
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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