THE PIRATES' TARIFF OF REWARDS. 45 



pirates soon made short work of this vessel, the crew of which was easily mastered. The 

 Spaniards peppered them from a battery when they landed, but the freebooters drove them 

 back to a fortified village, whence, after some little resistance, the former were driven into 

 the woods. They captured, tortured, and robbed a number of these unfortunate settlers, 

 who at length were glad to get rid of them by paying a ransom of 4,000 bushels of maize. 

 Morgan had begun to despair of their return, when they arrived with the captured ship 

 and an enormous supply of the needed corn. 



Captain Morgan having divided the maize, and the flesh which the hunters brought 

 in, among the ships according to their number of men, he departed, having inspected before- 

 hand every ship. " Thus he set sail, and stood for Cape Tiburon, where he resolved to 

 determine what enterprise he should take in hand. No sooner were they arrived, but they 

 met some other ships newly come to join them from Jamaica; so that now their fleet 

 consisted of thirty-seven ships, wherein were 2,000 fighting men, beside mariners and 

 boys. 



" Captain Morgan having such a number of ships, divided the whole fleet into two 

 squadrons, constituting a Vice-Admiral and other officers of the second squadron distinct 

 from the first. To these he gave letters patent, or commissions to act all manner of 

 hostilities against the Spanish nation, and take of them what ships they could, either abroad, 

 at sea or in the harbours, as if they were open and declared enemies (as he termed it) of 

 the King of England, his pretended master. This done, he called all his captains and 

 other officers together, and caused them to sign some articles of agreement betwixt them, and 

 in the name of all. Herein it was stipulated that he should have the hundredth part of 

 all that was gotten to himself; that every captain should draw the shares of eight men 

 for the expenses of his ship besides his own. To the surgeon, besides his pay, 200 pieces 

 of eight for his chest of medicaments. To every carpenter, above his salary, 100 pieces 

 of eight. The rewards were settled in this voyage much higher than before : as, for the 

 loss of both hands, 1,800 pieces of eight, or eighteen slaves ; for one leg, whether right 

 or left, 600 pieces of eight, or six slaves; for a hand as much as for a leg; and for the 

 loss of an eye 100 pieces of eight or one slave. Lastly, to him that in any battle should 

 signalise himself, either by entering first any castle, or taking down the Spanish colours 

 and setting up the English, they allotted fifty pieces of eight for a reward. All which 

 extraordinary salaries and rewards to be paid out of the first spoil they should take, as every 

 one should occur to be either rewarded or paid." The first captain who should take a Spanish 

 vessel was to receive the tenth part of its value. One of three cities was to be attacked 

 Carthagena, Panama, or Vera Cruz; and after a council had been held the lot fell on 

 Panama. They resolved to first visit the Isle of St. Catherine, there to obtain guides for 

 the enterprise. 



As soon as Captain Morgan approached the island he sent one of his best sailing vessels 

 to examine the entrance of the river, and see whether there were any foreign ships there, 

 and next day they anchored in a neighbouring bay, where the Spaniards had built a battery, 

 which made no resistance. Morgan landed about 1,000 men, and marched them through 

 the woods, where they discovered another deserted battery, the Spaniards having retired 

 to the smaller and adjacent island, which was thoroughly fortified. As soon as the pirates 



