em
to the main fortress, which they put in a good condition of defence.
Here they confined all their prisoners and slaves, and supplied the
island with an abundance of stores and provisions.

It is believed that when Mansvelt formed the plan of capturing this
island he did so with the idea of founding there a permanent pirate
principality, the inhabitants of which should not consider themselves
English, French, or Dutch, but plain pirates, having a nationality and
country of their own. Had the seed thus planted by Mansvelt and Morgan
grown and matured, it is not unlikely that the whole of the West Indies
might now be owned and inhabited by an independent nation, whose
founders were the bold buccaneers.

When everything had been made tight and right at St. Catherine, Mansvelt
and Morgan sailed for the mainland, for the purpose of attacking an
inland town called Nata, but in this expedition they were not
successful. The Spanish Governor of the province had heard of their
approach, and met them with a body of soldiers so large that they
prudently gave up the attempt,--a proceeding not very common with them,
but Morgan was not only a dare-devil of a pirate, but a very shrewd
Welshman.

They returned to the ships, and after touching at St. Catherine and
leaving there enough men to defend it, under the command of a Frenchman
named Le Sieur Simon, they sailed for Jamaica. Everything at St.
Catherine was arranged for permanent occupation; there was plenty of
fresh water, and the ground could be cultivated, and Simon was promised
that additional forces should be sent him so that he could hold the
island as a regular station for the assembling and fitting out of pirate
vessels.

The permanent pirate colony never came to anything; no reenforcements
were sent; Mansvelt died, and the Spaniards gathered together a
sufficient force to retake the island of St. Catherine, and make
prisoners of Simon and his men. This was a blow to Morgan, who had had
great hopes of the fortified station he thought he had so firmly
established, but after the project failed he set about forming another
expedition.

He was now recognized as buccaneer-in-chief of the West Indies, and he
very soon gathered together twelve ships and seven hundred men.
Everything was made ready to sail, and the only thing left to be done
was to decide what particular place they should favor with a visit.

There were some who advised an attack upon Havana, giving as a r