e Spanish coast cities. Time and again these were
plundered of their wealth, numbers of their ships were taken, and a
veritable reign of terror prevailed. As time went on, however, most of
these freebooters withdrew, satisfied with their abundant gains, so that,
by the end of 1687, only a few of them remained, and these were eager to
return with their ill-gotten wealth to their native land.

This remnant of the piratical fraternity, less than three hundred in
number, had their head-quarters on an island in the Bay of Mapalla, on the
Central American coast. What vessels they had left were in a wretched
condition, utterly unfit to attempt the vast sea voyage by way of the
Straits of Magellan, and nothing seemed to remain for them but an attempt
to cross the continent by way of Nicaragua and Honduras, fighting their
way through a multitude of enemies. To the pen of Ravenneau de Lussan, one
of the adventurers, we are indebted for the narrative of the singular and
interesting adventure which follows.

The daring band of French and English freebooters were very ill provided
for the dangerous enterprise they had in view. They proposed to cross an
unknown country without guides and with a meagre supply of provisions,
fighting as they went and conveying their sick and wounded as best they
could. They had also a number of prisoners whom they felt it necessary to
take with them, since to set them free would be to divulge their weakness
to their enemies. Nature and circumstance seemed to combine against them,
yet if they ever wished to see their native lands again they must face
every danger, trusting that some of them, at least, might escape to enjoy
their spoils.

After questioning their prisoners, they decided to take a route by way of
the city of New Segovia, which lies north of the lake of Nicaragua, about
one hundred and twenty miles from the Pacific and seventy-five miles from
the waters of a river that flows, after a long course, into the Atlantic
opposite Cape Gracias-a-Dios. In order to gain further information about
the route, sixty men were sent to explore the neighboring country. These
advanced till they were near the small city of Chiloteca. Here, worn out
by their journey and learning that they were in a thickly settled country,
most of the pioneers decided to return. But eighteen of the bolder spirits
had the audacity to advance on Chiloteca, a place of perhaps a thousand
inhabitants.

Into it they rushed with su