30 THE SEA. 



With this ship he left Jamaica, and off the coast of Campechy took several prizes, with 

 which he returned triumphantly. He next met an old pirate, Mansvelt by name, who was 

 then engaged in forming and manning a fleet, and who offered Morgan the post of vice- 

 admiral in his expedition, which the latter accepted. There was no nonsense about the piracv 

 of those days ; for we read that the freebooters' fleet consisted of no less than fifteen vessels, 

 great and small, manned by 500 adventurers. They first proceeded to the Isle of St. Catherine, 

 near the coast of Costa Rica, where they landed most of their men, and soon " forced all the 

 forts and castles thereof," which they instantly demolished, except one, which they garrisoned 

 with 100 men of their own, and all the slaves taken from the Spaniards. With the rest of 

 their forces they proceeded to a neighbouring island, so close, indeed, that in a few days they 

 made a bridge and carried over all the captured ordnance. Having ruined with fire and sword 

 both the islands, they put to sea again with the intention of pillaging all the towns and vil- 

 lages on the coast of Costa Rica. The Governor of Panama learned of these proceedings, and 

 made preparations to meet the pirates, of which fact they also learned, and they retired, finding 

 the whole country was alarmed. They returned to St. Catherine, where the governor whom 

 they had left in charge a Frenchman, Le Sieur Simon by name had made good use of 

 his charge by putting the greater island in an excellent state of defence, while he had 

 cultivated the lesser one to such an extent that he was able to re- victual the fleet. Mansvelt 

 was very much bent on keeping these islands, as they were conveniently situated for piracy, 

 and easily defended. He laid the matter before the Governor of Jamaica, who rejected his 

 plans. He then proceeded to Tortuga for volunteers to man the island with supplies, but 

 here death put an end to his wicked life, leaving all things in suspense. The new Governor 

 of Costa Rica did not approve of the islands remaining in the hands of pirates ; but before 

 taking action offered easy terms to Le Sieur Simon, promising him good reward should he 

 give them up. The latter, after some small show of resistance, delivered them up to Spain. 



Captain Morgan was now entirely in command of the pirate fleet, and had under his 

 command no less than 700 men, part English and part French, on twelve vessels. A council 

 was called, and some recommended an attempt on the City of Havannah, while others, 

 who had been prisoners there, thought it useless to try any such scheme with less than 

 1,500 men. They finally resolved to attack the town of El Puerto del Principe, an inland 

 town of Cuba, tolerably near the coast, where the inhabitants were wealthy, and had never 

 yet been attacked by the pirates. They made sail, steering toward the coast nearest that 

 town. At a bay named El Puerto del Santa Maria, a Spanish prisoner on board the fleet 

 swam ashore by night, and succeeded in reaching the threatened town, where he gave the 

 inhabitants information of the coming attack, and they, of course, immediately began to 

 hide and carry away their riches and movables. The governor immediately enrolled all 

 the males of the town, about 800, and posted part of them in a position where by necessity 

 the pirates must pass, while he made other preparations for hindering them, by cutting 

 down trees and laying them across the roads. He placed ambuscade parties with cannon 

 to harass them on their march. 



" Captain Morgan with his men now on the march found the avenues to the town 

 impassable; hereupon they took their way through the wood, traversing it with great 

 difficulty, whereby they escaped divers ambuscades; at last they came to the place from 



