ay
with the best part of the spoil, which then lay much more in one vessel
than another. Thus they all brought in according to their laws, and
declared what they had, first making oath not to conceal the least
thing. The accounts being cast up, they found to the value of 25,000
pieces of eight, in money and jewels, beside the huge quantity of
merchandise and slaves, all which purchase was divided to every ship or
boat, according to her share.

The dividend being made, the question still remained how they should
pass the castle, and get out of the lake. To this effect they made use
of a stratagem, as follows: the day before the night wherein they
determined to get forth, they embarked many of their men in canoes, and
rowed towards the shore, as if they designed to land: here they hid
themselves under branches of trees that hang over the coast awhile,
laying themselves down in the boats; then the canoes returned to the
ships, with the appearance of only two or three men rowing them back,
the rest being unseen at the bottom of the canoes: thus much only could
be perceived from the castle, and this false landing of men, for so we
may call it, was repeated that day several times: this made the
Spaniards think the pirates intended at night to force the castle by
scaling it. This fear caused them to place most of their great guns
on the land side, together with their main force, leaving the side
towards the sea almost destitute of defence.

Night being come, they weighed anchor, and by moonlight, without setting
sail, committed themselves to the ebbing tide, which gently brought them
down the river, till they were near the castle; being almost over
against it, they spread their sails with all possible haste. The
Spaniards perceiving this, transported with all speed their guns from
the other side, and began to fire very furiously at them; but these
having a very favourable wind, were almost past danger before those of
the castle could hurt them; so that they lost few of their men, and
received no considerable damage in their ships. Being out of the reach
of the guns, Captain Morgan sent a canoe to the castle with some of the
prisoners, and the governor thereof gave them a boat to return to their
own homes; but he detained the hostages from Gibraltar, because the rest
of the ransom for not firing the place was yet unpaid. Just as he
departed, Captain Morgan ordered seven great guns with bullets to be
fired against the castle,