d in great
quantities upon the sand, from a wound in his leg which he had
received in the furious struggle within the market-place.

"Come, Captain," cried one of his retainers, seizing him in his arms.
"You must hasten to our pinnaces. What brooks this treasure to us when
we lose you, for, if you live we can secure gold and silver enough at
any time, but if you die we can find no more."

"I fear me that I am grievously hurt," sadly spake the Captain. "Give
me but a drink and then I think that I can reach our boats."

A soldier stooped and bound his scarf about the wounded leg of the now
weakened leader, and, bearing him aloft, the little band of
adventurers turned toward the ocean side. They soon embarked, with
many wounded besides the Captain, though none were slain save one
trumpeter.

Although the surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies and salves
for the hurts of the soldiers, their main care was for the bold
Francis Drake,--leader of this desperate expedition in quest of
treasure.

"If we lose you," cried a sailor, "we can scarce get home again. But
while we enjoy your presence and have you in command of us, we can
recover enough of wealth."

"Before we left the harbor we took, with little trouble, a ship of
wine for the greater comfort of our company," writes one of the stout
soldiers in this brave affair. "And though they shot at us from the
town we carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals. Here we cured our
wounded men and refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens which we
found there abounding with great store of dainty roots and fruit.
There were also great plenty of poultry and other fowls, no less
strange and delicate."

Although unsuccessful--as you see--the brave mariners were not
daunted, and, after the wounded had recovered, a new expedition was
determined upon, with the purpose of capturing one of the trains of
mules which carried gold from Vera Cruz to Panama. Drake had been
joined by numerous Maroons--negroes who had escaped from the Spaniards
and had turned bandits--and these were quite willing and ready to aid
him in the pursuit of treasure. But before the English marauders moved
towards the interior, they attempted to attack Cartagena, the capital
of the Spanish Main.

Sailing into the harbor in front of this prosperous town, one evening,
they found that the townsfolk had been well warned of their coming;
they rang their bells and fired their cannon, while all of the
soldiers ra