"Senor, do you need any further argument than these to convince you of the desirability of surrendering at discretion?" "_A buena querra_?" demanded Bascomb, who had picked up a phrase or two of Spanish during his conversations with Marshall. "Certainly, senor, if, as I presume to be the case, you hold a commission from your queen." "I hold no such commission, senor," answered Bascomb, who began to realise that he and his followers were in a very tight place. "You hold no such commission, eh? Then, is one to assume that you are merely a band of ordinary, commonplace pirates, eh?" demanded the officer. "You are at liberty to assume what you please," retorted Bascomb. "I repeat that I hold no commission, no authority save that which is conferred by my own sword. And I surrender _a buena querra_, or not at all." "You surrender at discretion, or not at all, senor pirate. Which is it to be?" was the rejoinder. "Not at all, then," answered Bascomb. "We will fight to the death, rather than surrender to perish in your hellish Inquisition!" The Spaniard bowed, closed the visor of his helmet, and reined his horse back very slowly until he had returned to his place at the head of the regiment of cavalry which he commanded; while Bascomb, turning to his followers, shouted: "Now, dogs of Devon, show these cowardly Spaniards a bit of your quality. Look to the troops, horse and foot, that they've brought against us, eight hundred of 'em to our forty; that's just twenty to one, twenty soldiers that each man of us must kill before we can get back to the ship. For that's where we're going; we can't take the town with all these soldiers against us. But let us get back to the ship and we'll tell 'em another story; all their soldiers and twice as many again won't save 'em from the heavy ordnance of the galleon and the _Adventure_; and half an hour's bombardment will make 'em glad enough to come to terms wi' us. Now, the one half of you charge back along, down the street; the other half will follow, retiring backward and facing the enemy. Now, have at 'em, my hearts, for here they come! Clear the way with your arrows first; and then give 'em the cold steel!"