wsers--for by this time there was nigh
upon five hunderd Spaniards attackin' us, and we could do nothin' again
so many. Seein' so many soldiers comin' again us, some of our chaps got
a bit frighted and took the cap'n at his word by castin' off our shore
fasts at once, without waitin' for everybody to get aboard first. The
consequence was that when all the hawsers had been let go exceptin' the
quarter rope--which I was tendin' to--the Cap'n, Mr Saint Leger, and
about half a dozen more was still on the wharf while--an off-shore wind
happenin' to be blowin' at the time--the ship's head had paid off until
'twas pointing out to sea, while there was about a couple o' fathoms of
space atween the ship's quarter and the wharf. I s'pose that seein'
this, and that there was only a matter o' seven or eight men to oppose
'em, gived the Spaniards courage to make a rush at the Cap'n and his
party; anyway, that's what they did, and for about a couple o' minutes
there was a terrible fight on that wharf, in which three or four men
went down.

"The next thing I noticed, Mr Garge, were your brother layin' about mun
like a very Paladin, fightin' three big Spanish cavaliers single-handed,
and, while I watched, one of 'em aimed a dreadful blow at mun's head wi'
a heavy two-handed soord. Mr Hubert see'd the blow comin' and put up
his soord to guard the head of mun, but the soord broke off clean, close
to the hilt, and there were Mr Hubert disarmed. Then the three
Spaniards that was fightin' mun rushed in afore Mr Hubert could draw
his dagger, seized mun by the arms, and dragged mun away out o' the
fight. And while this were happenin' our Cap'n were so busy that I
don't believe he ever see'd that Mr Hubert were took prisoner. Then I
sang out to mun--`Cap'n Drake,' says I, `if you don't come aboard this
very minute,' says I, `the ship'll break adrift and go off and leave ye
behind.' The Cap'n took a look round, see'd that evrybody else but
hisself was either cut down or took prisoner, and, flinging his soord in
the face of a man that tried to stop mun, leaped clean off quay, seized
the hawser in 's hands as mun jumped, and come aboard that way, hand
over hand. Then I let go the hawser and jumped to the helm, and we
runned off among t'other ships, where we let go our anchor.

"Now by this time the fight were ragin' most furious everywhere, some of
the Spanish havin' got under way and runned our ships aboard. But they
didn't gain much b