ps more, had joined the _Archer_ and accompanied her boats up
the river. He could not help also turning round to see what the old
Spaniard was doing. There he stood on his perch surveying his motley
crew--the impersonation of an evil spirit--so Jack thought. Yet he
looked quite calm and quiet, with a smile--it was not a pleasant one,
however--playing on his countenance. In a moment afterwards his whole
manner changed; he sprang off the ground and clapped his hands, crying
out loudly, "_Tira! tira, amijos_." "Fire! fire, my friends! and send
all those English to perdition." He was under the belief that the boats
had just come in a direct line with his guns, and that every shot would
tell on them. The Spaniards and blacks were not slow to obey the order.
Off went the guns, and the small-arm men began peppering away till the
whole fort was in a cloud of smoke. Jack delayed firing as long as he
could, that he might be more certain that his shot would fly over the
heads of his friends. He would have waited still longer, had he not
seen a Spaniard near him cocking his pistol and giving a very
significant glance towards him. He had already begun to stoop down to
fire, when a bullet whistled by his head, and he heard the sharp voice
of the old Spaniard, "Take that, young traitor, if you don't choose to
obey orders."

Jack felt that he had had a narrow escape of his life. Looking along
his gun, and seeing that the arc he believed the shot would make would
extend far beyond the boats, he fired. He could not see where his shot
went, for at the same moment the British, though at first not a little
surprised at the warm reception they had encountered, had brought the
guns in the bows of the boats to bear on the fort, and had opened a hot
fire in return.

With loud cheers they advanced; but Jack guessed that they had something
in store which would astonish the blacks much more than the round shot;
nor was he mistaken. Up flew, whizzing into the air, a shower of
rockets, which came down quickly into the middle of the fort, and made
both Spaniards and negroes scamper here and there at a great rate,
knocking each other over, shrieking out oaths and prayers in a variety
of dialects, and trying to hide themselves from their terrific pursuers.
It was as if a number of wriggling serpents had been turned loose among
a crowd of people. The old Spaniard stamped and swore with rage,
calling the people back to their guns, abusing