ere were six more lying still in prison, to be burnt
in a few days. If we had had our fleet with us (as we should have had if
it had not been for John Winter) we would have gone in and rescued them
all, poor wretches, and sacked the town to boot: but what could we do
with one ship?"

"Would to God you had, sir; for the story was true enough; and among
them, I heard, were two young ladies of quality and their confessor,
who came to their ends for reproving out of Scripture the filthy and
loathsome living of those parts, which, as I saw well enough and too
well, is liker to Sodom than to a Christian town; but God will avenge
His saints, and their sins. Amen."

"Amen," said Sir Richard: "but on with thy tale, for it is as strange as
ever man heard."

"Well, gentlemen, when I heard that I must end my days in that galley, I
was for awhile like a madman: but in a day or two there came over me, I
know not how, a full assurance of salvation, both for this life and the
life to come, such as I had never had before; and it was revealed to me
(I speak the truth, gentlemen, before Heaven) that now I had been tried
to the uttermost, and that my deliverance was at hand.

"And all the way up to Panama (that was after we had laden the
'Cacafuogo') I cast in my mind how to escape, and found no way: but just
as I was beginning to lose heart again, a door was opened by the Lord's
own hand; for (I know not why) we were marched across from Panama to
Nombre, which had never happened before, and there put all together into
a great barranco close by the quay-side, shackled, as is the fashion, to
one long bar that ran the whole length of the house. And the very first
night that we were there, I, looking out of the window, spied, lying
close aboard of the quay, a good-sized caravel well armed and just
loading for sea; and the land breeze blew off very strong, so that the
sailors were laying out a fresh warp to hold her to the shore. And it
came into my mind, that if we were aboard of her, we should be at sea
in five minutes; and looking at the quay, I saw all the soldiers who had
guarded us scattered about drinking and gambling, and some going into
taverns to refresh themselves after their journey. That was just at
sundown; and half an hour after, in comes the gaoler to take a last look
at us for the night, and his keys at his girdle. Whereon, sirs (whether
by madness, or whether by the spirit which gave Samson strength to rend
the lion), I r