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
“To this effect he ordered ten or twelve ladders to be made in all haste,
so broad that three or four men at once might ascend them. These being
finished, he commanded all the religious men and women whom he had taken
prisoners to fix them against the walls of the castle. This he had before
threatened the governor to do if he delivered not the castle, but his
answer was, ‘He would never surrender himself alive.’ Captain Morgan was
persuaded the governor would not employ his armed force, seeing the
religious women and ecclesiastical persons exposed in front of the
soldiers to the greatest danger. Thus the ladders, as I have said, were
put into the hands of religious persons of both sexes, and these were
forced at the head of the companies to raise and apply them to the walls;
but Captain Morgan was fully deceived in his judgment, for the governor,
who acted like a brave soldier in the performance of his duty, used his
utmost endeavour to destroy whosoever came near the walls. The religious
men and women ceased not to cry to him, and beg of him by all the saints
of Heaven, to deliver the castle, and spare both his and their lives; but
nothing could prevail with his obstinacy and fierceness. Thus, many of the
religious men and nuns were killed before they could fix the ladders,
which at last being done, though with great loss of the said religious
people, the pirates mounted them in great numbers, and with not less
valour, having fire-balls in their hands, and earthen pots full of powder;
all which things being now at the top of the walls, they kindled and cast
in among the Spaniards.
“This effort of the pirates was very great, inasmuch as the Spaniards
could no longer resist nor defend the castle, which was now entered.
Hereupon they all threw down their arms, and craved quarter for their
lives. Only the governor would crave no mercy, but killed many of the
pirates with his own hands, and not a few of his own soldiers, because
they would not stand to their arms. And though the pirates asked him if he
would have quarter, yet he constantly answered, ‘By no means; I would
rather die as a valiant soldier than be hanged as a coward!’ They
endeavoured as much as they could to take him prisoner, but he defended
himself so obstinately that they were forced to kill him, notwithstanding
all the cries and tears of his own wife and daughter, who begged him on
their knees to demand quarter and save his life.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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