. But the freebooters
were not disturbed in their camp, and were allowed a quiet night's rest
after their abundant meal of raw flesh.

The next day Morgan led his men against the city, skilfully avoiding the
main road, which was defended by batteries, and passing through a thick
and pathless wood. Two hours of this flanking march brought them in sight
of the Spanish forces, which were very numerous, consisting of four
regiments of the line and nearly three thousand other soldiers. They had
with them also a great herd of wild bulls under the charge of Indians and
negroes, from which much was hoped in the assault.

Morgan and his men were much discouraged by the multitude and military
array of their foes, but nothing remained for them but a desperate fight,
and, with two hundred of their best marksmen in front, they descended to
the broad plain on which the Spaniards awaited them. They had no sooner
reached it than the Spanish cavalry charged, while the bulls were driven
tumultuously upon them.

This carefully devised assault proved a disastrous failure. The horsemen
found themselves in marshy ground, where they were exposed to a hot and
well-directed fire, numbers of them falling before they could effect a
retreat. The charge of the bulls, on which so much reliance had been
placed, proved an equal failure, and with wild shouts the freebooters
advanced, firing rapidly and with an accuracy of aim that soon strewed the
ground with the dead.

The Spaniards, driven back by this impetuous charge, now turned the bulls
against the rear of their enemy. But many of these had been cattle-raisers
and knew well how to act against such a foe, driving them off with shouts
and the waving of colored flags and killing numbers of them. In the end,
after a battle of two hours' duration, the Spaniards, despite their great
superiority of numbers, were utterly defeated, a great many being killed
on the field and others in the panic of flight.

But the freebooters had lost heavily, and Panama, a city defended by walls
and forts, remained to be taken. Morgan knew that success depended on
taking instant advantage of the panic of the enemy, and he advanced
without delay against the town. It was strongly defended with artillery,
but the impetuous assault of the freebooters carried all before it, and
after a three hours' fight the city was in their hands.

The scenes that followed were marked by the most atrocious ferocity and
vandalism. The c