eception they might meet with.

The seamen stood at their guns with the matches in their hands concealed
from view; perfect silence reigned throughout the fort. The enemy crept
steadily on, not knowing how near they were to their expected prey, the
outline of the fort not being yet visible to them through the darkness.
Commander Olding judged from the ground they covered that there must be
between two and three hundred men--double the number of his own crew.
Suddenly they halted, probably having just then discovered the fort.
Two or three figures, apparently those of officers, were seen moving in
front of them; then a shout was heard, and the whole line, advancing,
fired their matchlocks, the bullets flying thick as hail over the fort.

The commander leaped down from his exposed position unhurt. "Now, give
it to them, my lads!" he cried, and the guns sent forth an iron shower
into the midst of their assailants. Shrieks and cries arose from the
direction of the enemy, who had evidently not expected to find the
English possessed of guns. Still the little garrison fully expected to
be attacked; but when the smoke from the first discharge of the guns
cleared off, the whole body of the enemy were discovered in rapid
flight, making their way back to their boats.

"Let us follow them, sir," cried several voices from among the men; "not
one of them shall get back to their ship."

"They have been sufficiently punished, and are not likely to renew the
attack," answered the commander, who had no wish to make prisoners, and
saw no necessity for the utter destruction of the enemy. "If they come
on again they must take the consequences."

The seamen were somewhat disappointed at this, but they knew that it
would be useless to expostulate. They remained at their guns, hoping
that the enemy would again attack them; but when daylight appeared, the
boats were seen making their way back to the frigate, which lay outside
the reef. On the ground they had occupied when the fort opened fire on
them were stretched upward of a dozen dead men. It was evident that the
Spanish had carried off their wounded, who probably numbered as many
more. A party was at once sent down, accompanied by the surgeon, to
ascertain if any of those on the ground were still alive; but Mac,
having gone round and examined each of these carefully, pronounced them
all as "dead as herrings."

"There, my lads," he said to the men, who had come with pickaxes an