﻿186 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Geo. 
  R. 
  King 
  

  

  THE 
  "flat 
  arch" 
  AT 
  THE 
  ENTRANCE 
  TO 
  THE 
  ruined 
  CHURCH 
  OP 
  SAN 
  DOMINGO: 
  

  

  PANAMA 
  CITY 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  arch 
  over 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  church 
  was 
  being 
  built 
  by 
  Dominican 
  monks, 
  it 
  

   fell 
  three 
  times. 
  Then, 
  according 
  to 
  legend, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  monks 
  had 
  a 
  dream 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  plan 
  

   for 
  a 
  new 
  arch 
  was 
  revealed 
  to 
  him, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  one 
  now 
  standing 
  was 
  erected 
  according 
  

   to 
  his 
  dream 
  it 
  stood 
  firm. 
  The 
  unique 
  feature 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  flat. 
  

  

  quered 
  by 
  stratagem 
  this 
  island, 
  with 
  its 
  

   nine 
  fortresses, 
  Morgan 
  sent 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  

   men 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  castle 
  at 
  Chagres, 
  which 
  

   would 
  leave 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  Panama 
  clear. 
  

  

  The 
  castle, 
  which 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   nearly 
  impregnable 
  fortresses 
  of 
  its 
  time, 
  

   lay 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Chagres 
  River, 
  a 
  

   few 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  Colon 
  Harbor. 
  

   This 
  the 
  pirates 
  took, 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  accident, 
  after 
  fierce 
  fighting 
  and 
  the 
  

   failure 
  of 
  many 
  assaults. 
  Esquemeling 
  

   tells 
  us 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  pirates, 
  wounded 
  

   by 
  an 
  arrow 
  that 
  pierced 
  his 
  body 
  from 
  

   side 
  to 
  side, 
  coolly 
  pulled 
  out 
  the 
  weapon, 
  

   wrapped 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  it 
  with 
  cotton, 
  stuck 
  

   it 
  in 
  his 
  musket, 
  and 
  fired 
  it 
  back 
  at 
  the 
  

   castle. 
  The 
  cotton 
  was 
  kindled 
  by 
  the 
  

   powder 
  and, 
  falling 
  upon 
  a 
  thatched 
  roof 
  

   within 
  the 
  castle, 
  set 
  that 
  building 
  and 
  

   numerous 
  others 
  on 
  fire. 
  The 
  conflagra- 
  

  

  tion 
  finally 
  reached 
  the 
  powder 
  magazine, 
  

   which 
  exploded, 
  causing 
  such 
  consterna- 
  

   tion 
  among 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  that 
  the 
  garri- 
  

   son 
  surrendered. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  long 
  and 
  tiresome 
  march 
  across 
  

   the 
  Isthmus, 
  the 
  pirates 
  at 
  last 
  reached 
  

   Panama, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  warned 
  by 
  the 
  

   fall 
  of 
  Chagres 
  and 
  was 
  ready 
  for 
  their 
  

   coming. 
  After 
  almost 
  twelve 
  hours 
  of 
  

   continuous 
  fighting, 
  the 
  proud 
  Spanish 
  

   capital 
  fell 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  pirates, 
  

   who 
  reduced 
  it 
  to 
  ashes 
  after 
  seizing 
  all 
  

   the 
  wealth 
  which 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  had 
  not 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  send 
  out 
  to 
  sea 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  

   their 
  galleons. 
  

  

  MORGAN 
  HELPS 
  TO 
  SUPPRESS 
  PIRACY 
  

  

  Morgan 
  was 
  evidently 
  wily 
  enough 
  to 
  

   appropriate 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  booty 
  for 
  his 
  own 
  

   uses, 
  and, 
  fearing 
  for 
  his 
  safety 
  because 
  

  

  