uried the remnant of
their riches underground, so that the pirates could not find them out,
unless some of their own party should reveal them; besides, the
Spaniards flying from one place to another every day, and often changing
woods, were jealous even of each other, so as the father durst scarce
trust his own son.

After the pirates had been fifteen days in Maracaibo, they resolved for
Gibraltar; but the inhabitants having received intelligence thereof, and
that they intended afterwards to go to Merida, gave notice of it to the
governor there, who was a valiant soldier, and had been an officer in
Flanders. His answer was, "he would have them take no care, for he hoped
in a little while to exterminate the said pirates." Whereupon he came to
Gibraltar with four hundred men well armed, ordering at the same time
the inhabitants to put themselves in arms, so that in all he made eight
hundred fighting men. With the same speed he raised a battery toward the
sea, mounted with twenty guns, covered with great baskets of earth:
another battery he placed in another place, mounted with eight guns.
This done, he barricaded a narrow passage to the town through which the
pirates must pass, opening at the same time another through much dirt
and mud into the wood totally unknown to the pirates.

The pirates, ignorant of these preparations, having embarked all their
prisoners and booty, took their way towards Gibraltar. Being come in
sight of the place, they saw the royal standard hanging forth, and that
those of the town designed to defend their houses. Lolonois seeing this,
called a council of war what they ought to do, telling his officers and
mariners, "That the difficulty of the enterprise was very great, seeing
the Spaniards had had so much time to put themselves in a posture of
defence, and had got a good body of men together, with much ammunition;
but notwithstanding," said he, "have a good courage; we must either
defend ourselves like good soldiers, or lose our lives with all the
riches we have got. Do as I shall do who am your captain: at other times
we have fought with fewer men than we have in our company at present,
and yet we have overcome greater numbers than there possibly can be in
this town: the more they are, the more glory and the greater riches we
shall gain." The pirates supposed that all the riches of the inhabitants
of Maracaibo were transported to Gibraltar, or at least the greatest
part. After this speech, the