Till: < ITY OP PANAMA. 419 



the Ion;,' journey they lial junt made. Many who were wounded hid themselves among the 

 tliirk bushes that are on the shores of the river ; hut they were very unfortunate, because the 

 pirates, liutliii^ them very soon, killed them without showing quarter to a single person, just 

 as if tin -\ nianv IM -lists of the field. They brought a large number of friars (rdi- 



giosos) to tin- presence of ' who, without caring to hear their prayers and supplications, 



< .in., ,1 tlii-m to he put to death with pistols. They afterward conducted to him a captain who 

 had been wounded in the combat, and Morgan examined him about a diversity of things, asking 

 him what the forces of Panama consisted of; to which he replied that his hopes were baaed on 

 400 cavalry, 24 companies of infantry of 100 men or Indians each, and some negroes, who 

 managed 2,000 bulls, that were to be driven on the pirates and totally ruin them. He also 

 discovered that they had made trenches in divers parts of the city, in all of which they had 

 planted artillery, and that at the entrance of the road they had built a fortress, where there 

 were planted eight brass guns, with fifty men. 



"Morgan immediately gave orders to take another road, and made a review of his men, of 

 whom the dead and wounded were a considerable number, and more than he had thought. Of 

 the Spaniards they counted more than 600 dead on the field, besides wounded and prisoners. 

 Although they saw themselves less numerous, the pirates were not disheartened, but rather, 

 considering the great advantage they had gained over their enemies, they were full of pride; 

 and as soon as they had reposed a little, prepared to march on the city, swearing to fight until 

 the last one of them should perish; and so they started vigorously to the conquest, taking all 

 the prisoners with them. 



"They found great difficulty in reaching the city, because they had placed heavy artillery in 

 divers quartels within it some loaded with pieces of iron, and others with musket-balls with 

 all which they saluted the pirates, killing many of them. But they did not stop advancing 

 even in the face of these manifest dangers ; and although the Spaniards fired opportunely, they 

 found themselves forced to surrender the city after a combat of three hours, the pirates 

 becoming possessors, killing and destroying all who defended themselves. The inhabitants had 

 already caused all of their most valuable property to be transported to the most occult places. 

 Nevertheless, the warehouses were well filled with all sorts of merchandise, as well silks and 

 cloths as linens, and other things of importance. When the first rush was over, Morgan ordered 

 that all his troops should meet at a certain spot named by him ; and there he commanded that no 

 one should dare to drink or taste of wine under the gravest penalties, because the Spaniards had 

 poisoned it ; but we should believe that this prudent order was to prevent his companions fronL 

 becoming drunk, fearing that the Spaniards would rally a sufficient number of persons and 

 fall upon them. 



"Thus Morgan having garrisoned the quartels that he found in and without the city, he sent 

 twenty-five men to take a vessel that had remained for want of water, because the tide, which 

 was very low in the port at that time, left it all muddy. Then (already near noon) he caused 

 fire to be communicated to many edifices of the city, in such manner that it could not be certain 

 he had been the incendiary ; but so rapidly did it burn, that before night almost all Panama was 

 in flames. Morgan intended to make the public believe that the Spaniards had caused it; and 

 such a rumor was urgently spread among his own people. Many of the conquered and some 

 others endeavored to stop the fire by blowing up some houses with powder in order to make spaces 

 between them; but their labor was useless, for in less than half an hour one entire street was 

 enveloped. All the buildings were of cedar, well and curiously wrought and richly adorned 

 within, principally with magnificent pictures and paintings; of which a part of the jewels were 

 removed, and others perished in the devouring flames. 



"Eight convents decorated this episcopal city; seven houses belonging to other religious 

 persons, and one of nuns; as also two sumptuous churches, magnificently adorned with 

 portraits and very fine paintings; much gold and silver, all of which the ecclesiastics had 

 concealed; and a hospital, where the poor and sick found the charity of its founders very exactly 



