THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 29 



loss of life or time. He would not allow them to at- 

 tack the newly fortified city then, but chose rather 

 to send five hundred of them in boats to attack 

 another smaller pueblo called " Seppa," or " Chiapa," 

 which they did, but found little treasure in it ; so 

 little, indeed, that they considered the expedition 

 " a great loss of time and of very little profit." On 

 the 8th of May the fleet weighed anchor, and passed 

 Old Panama, which had been destroyed fifteen years 

 before, by Morgan and a great many of the older men 

 on board. They sailed slowly, passed the new city 

 out of gun range, and, after some time, went down 

 to the Island of Taboga, which place, the historian 

 says, seemed to be an enchanted spot, on account of 

 the beauty and variety of its vegetation, and by the 

 neat, little, deserted villas, built by the inhabitants 

 of Panama. They waited there some weeks for the 

 Spanish fleet, which, at length, on the 17th of May, 

 appeared in sight. The freebooters put to sea, 

 and prepared for the combat. On drawing near 

 them, the Spaniards, had they had any doubts be- 

 fore, were soon informed who were their enemies ; 

 as well from the appearance of their ships, as from 

 that ominous flag — the Skull and Cross-Bones, the 

 piratical emblem under which so many atrocities 

 had been committed. In answer to this the royal 

 standard of Castile and Leon was given to the wind ; 

 and, more significant still, could be seen the Spanish 

 officer nailing this flag to the mast. 



The buccaneers advanced boldly to the fight. 

 The cheers of the men and their extravagant mani- 



