proof
of this, we have only to relate an interesting and remarkable adventure
which befell him. He laid siege to a large town, and, as the place was
well defended by fortifications and armed men, a severe battle took
place before it was captured. But at last the town was taken, and de
Lussan and his men having gone to church to give thanks for their
victory,--his Englishmen being obliged to attend the services no matter
what they did afterward,--he went diligently to work to gather from the
citizens their valuable and available possessions. In this way he was
brought into personal contact with a great many of the people of the
town, and among the acquaintances which he made was that of a young
Spanish lady of great beauty.

The conditions and circumstances in the midst of which this lady found
herself after the city had been taken, were very peculiar. She had been
the wife of one of the principal citizens, the treasurer of the town,
who was possessed of a large fortune, and who lived in one of the best
houses in the place; but during the battle with the buccaneers, her
husband, who fought bravely in defence of the place, was killed, and she
now found herself not only a widow, but a prisoner in the hands of those
ruthless pirates whose very name had struck terror into the hearts of
the Spanish settlers. Plunged into misery and despair, it was impossible
for her to foresee what was going to happen to her.

As has been said, the religious services in the church were immediately
followed by the pillage of the town; every house was visited, and the
trembling inhabitants were obliged to deliver up their treasures to the
savage fellows who tramped through their halls and rooms, swearing
savagely when they did not find as much as they expected, and laughing
with wild glee at any unusual discovery of jewels or coin.

The buccaneer officers as well as the men assisted in gathering in the
spoils of the town, and it so happened that M. Raveneau de Lussan, with
his good clothes and his jaunty hat with a feather in it, selected the
house of the late treasurer of the city as a suitable place for him to
make his investigations. He found there a great many valuable articles
and also found the beautiful young widow.

The effect produced upon the mind of the lady when the captain of the
buccaneers entered her house was a very surprising one. Instead of
beholding a savage, brutal ruffian, with ragged clothes and gleaming
teeth, she saw