185 
Chap. XI.—B. S.] ESCAPE OP A RICH PRIZE. 
of the enemy were still in the neighbourhood and 
ready to take advantage of any neglect on the part 
of their foes, in order to recapture the city. Pa¬ 
nama was now formally ransacked. It was found to 
contain great warehouses, well stored with all kinds 
of valuable merchandise, hut as these articles were 
generally too bulky to he much appreciated, the buc¬ 
caneers looked more for the precious metals which 
could be conveyed across the country with comparative 
ease. In this respect, however, they were grievously 
disappointed ; the ornaments of the churches and con¬ 
vents, the Xing’s plate and jewels, as well as most 
other valuables, had been placed on board a vessel, 
which, though badly provisioned, and with only one 
sail on the mainmast, had effected its escape. The 
intelligence had hardly been communicated to Morgan, 
when he sent a large boat with twenty-five men, en¬ 
treating them to use every means in their power to 
overtake so valuable a prize. 
The Panamenians had hitherto little felt the conse¬ 
quences of their defeat, hut they were to drain the 
cup of bitterness to the very bottom. Morgan gave, 
privately, orders to set fire to the principal buildings; 
the flames, aided by a strong breeze, soon spread about, 
and consumed a whole street in an hour. The pirates, 
who were mostly ignorant of the real origin of the 
fire, aided by the inhabitants, tried to quench it by 
pulling down houses or blowing them up with gun¬ 
powder. All was of no avail. Before night the 
greater portion of Panama was reduced to ashes, and 
of the beautiful city nothing remained save a heap of 
