me farther in without fear of
danger: the rest of that day was spent in ruining and demolishing the
said castle. They nailed the guns, and burnt as much as they could not
carry away, burying the dead, and sending on board the fleet the
wounded. Next day, very early, they weighed anchor, and steered
altogether towards Maracaibo, about six leagues distant from the fort;
but the wind failing that day, they could advance little, being forced
to expect the tide. Next morning they came in sight of the town, and
prepared for landing under the protection of their own guns, fearing the
Spaniards might have laid an ambuscade in the woods: they put their men
into canoes, brought for that purpose, and landed where they thought
most convenient, shooting still furiously with their great guns: of
those in the canoes, half only went ashore, the other half remained
aboard; they fired from the ships as fast as possible, towards the woody
part of the shore, but could discover nobody; then they entered the
town, whose inhabitants, as I told you, were retired to the woods, and
Gibraltar, with their wives, children, and families. Their houses they
left well provided with victuals, as flour, bread, pork, brandy, wines,
and poultry, with these the pirates fell to making good cheer, for in
four weeks before they had no opportunity of filling their stomachs with
such plenty.

They instantly possessed themselves of the best houses in the town, and
placed sentinels wherever they thought convenient; the great church
served them for their main guard. Next day they sent out an hundred and
sixty men to find out some of the inhabitants in the woods thereabouts;
these returned the same night, bringing with them 20,000 pieces of
eight, several mules laden with household goods and merchandise, and
twenty prisoners, men, women, and children. Some of these were put to
the rack, to make them confess where they had hid the rest of the goods;
but they could extort very little from them. Lolonois, who valued not
murdering, though in cold blood, ten or twelve Spaniards, drew his
cutlass, and hacked one to pieces before the rest, saying, "If you do
not confess and declare where you have hid the rest of your goods, I
will do the like to all your companions." At last, amongst these
horrible cruelties and inhuman threats, one promised to show the place
where the rest of the Spaniards were hid; but those that were fled,
having intelligence of it, changed place, and b