fierce looking men spring before him out of the
darkness, he cried aloud. The next moment he was shot dead by Morgan
himself. At the same instant a volley rang out at contact range, and
every man in the party fell to the ground. Some were killed, others only
wounded; all of them except Alvarado were injured in some way. He
struck spurs into his horse when he heard the cry of Fadrique and the
shot. The surprised barb plunged forward, was hit by half a dozen
bullets, fell to the ground in a heap, and threw his rider over his
head. The Spaniard scrambled to his feet, whipped out his sword, lunged
forward and drove his blade into the breast of old Velsers. The next
instant a dozen weapons flashed over his head. One rang upon his steel
casque, another crashed against the polished breastplate that he wore.
He cut out again in the darkness, and once more fleshed his weapon.

Women's screams rose above the tumult. Beating back the swords which
menaced him, although he was reeling from the blows which he had
received, Alvarado strove to make his way toward Donna Mercedes, when he
was seized in the darkness from behind.

"Kill him!" cried a voice in English, which Alvarado and Mercedes both
understood perfectly. "He's the only one alive."

"Nay," cried another voice, stronger and sterner, "save him; we'll
question him later. Did any escape?"

"Not one."

"Are there any horses alive?"

"Two or three."

"Bring them hither. Now back to the rest. Then we can show a light and
see what we have captured. Teach, lead on. Let no harm come to the
women."

"Ay, ay," answered another voice out of the darkness, and a third voice
growled out:

"Hadn't we better make sure that none are alive to tell the tale?"

"Of course; a knife for the wounded," answered the stern voice, "and
bear a hand."

Greatly surprised and unable to comprehend anything but that his men had
been slaughtered and no harm had as yet befallen his charges, Alvarado,
whose arms had been bound to his side, found himself dragged along in
the wake of his captors, one or two of whom mounted on the unwounded
horses, with the two women between them, rode rapidly down the road.

CHAPTER XV

TELLS HOW MERCEDES DE LARA RETURNED THE UNSOUGHT CARESS OF SIR HENRY
MORGAN, AND THE MEANS BY WHICH THE BUCCANEERS SURMOUNTED THE WALLS

One hundred yards or so beyond the place of the ambush the road dropped
sharply over the last low cliff to the narrow strand which le