, and then, at a
signal, every vessel hoisted its sails, and, with a good wind, sailed
rapidly toward the open sea. The last pirate vessel had scarcely passed
the fort when the Spaniards discovered what was going on, and in great
haste they rolled their cannon back to the water side of the fort and
began firing furiously, but it was of no use.

The pirates sailed on until they were out of danger, and then they
anchored and arranged for putting on shore the greater number of their
prisoners, who were only an encumbrance to them. As a parting insult,
Morgan fired seven or eight of his largest guns at the castle, whose
humiliated occupants did not reply by a single shot.

In order to understand what thoroughly contemptible scoundrels these
pirates were it may be stated that when Morgan and his men reached
Jamaica after a good deal of storm and trouble on the way, they found
there many of their comrades who had not been able to join them at their
rendezvous at Savona. These unfortunate fellows, who had not known where
Morgan had gone and were unable to join him, had endeavored to do some
piratical business of their own, but had had very little luck and a
great many misfortunes. Morgan's men, with their pockets full of money,
jeered and sneered at their poor comrades who had had such hard times,
and without any thought of sharing with them the least portion of their
own vile gains they treated them with contempt and derision.

The buccaneer, Captain Henry Morgan, was now a very great personage, but
with his next expedition, which was a very important one, and in its
extent resembled warfare rather than piracy, we shall have little to do
because his exploits in this case were not performed on our Atlantic
coasts, but over the Isthmus, on the shores of the Pacific.

Morgan raised a great fleet, carrying a little army of two thousand men,
and with this he made his way to the other side of the Isthmus and
attacked the city of Panama, which, of course, he captured. His terrible
deeds at this place resembled those which he performed after the capture
of the smaller towns which we have been considering, except that they
were on a scale of greater magnitude. Nearly the whole of the town of
Panama was burned, and the excesses, cruelties, and pillages of the
conquerors were something almost without parallel.

Before marching overland to Panama, Morgan had recaptured the island of
St. Catherine, which was a very valuable station fo