hemselves till night. This being come,
they returned to the assault, to try, by the help of their fire-balls,
to destroy the pales before the wall; and while they were about it,
there happened a very remarkable accident, which occasioned their
victory. One of the pirates being wounded with an arrow in his back,
which pierced his body through, he pulled it out boldly at the side of
his breast, and winding a little cotton about it, he put it into his
musket, and shot it back to the castle; but the cotton being kindled by
the powder, fired two or three houses in the castle, being thatched with
palm-leaves, which the Spaniards perceived not so soon as was
necessary; for this fire meeting with a parcel of powder, blew it up,
thereby causing great ruin, and no less consternation to the Spaniards,
who were not able to put a stop to it, not having seen it time enough.

The pirates perceiving the effect of the arrow, and the misfortunes of
the Spaniards, were infinitely glad; and while they were busied in
quenching the fire, which caused a great confusion for want of water,
the pirates took this opportunity, setting fire likewise to the
palisades. The fire thus seen at once in several parts about the castle,
gave them great advantage against the Spaniards, many breaches being
made by the fire among the pales, great heaps of earth falling into the
ditch. Then the pirates climbing up, got over into the castle, though
those Spaniards, who were not busy about the fire, cast down many
flaming pots full of combustible matter, and odious smells, which
destroyed many of the English.

The Spaniards, with all their resistance, could not hinder the palisades
from being burnt down before midnight. Meanwhile the pirates continued
in their intention of taking the castle; and though the fire was very
great, they would creep on the ground, as near as they could, and shoot
amidst the flames against the Spaniards on the other side, and thus
killed many from the walls. When day was come, they observed all the
movable earth, that lay betwixt the pales, to be fallen into the ditch;
so that now those within the castle lay equally exposed to them without,
as had been on the contrary before; whereupon the pirates continued
shooting very furiously, and killed many Spaniards; for the governor had
charged them to make good those posts, answering to the heaps of earth
fallen into the ditch, and caused the artillery to be transported to the
breaches.

Th