the ship, whose defenders, terrified by the sight of the fierce,
laughing faces, discharged their guns without taking correct aim, not
even doing the rigging of the Sea Devil the slightest damage. The
grappling irons of the latter were already flung on her foe, and the
next instant the savage pirates sprang on deck, so overwhelming the crew
by their furious onslaught that, unheeding their officers' commands,
they flung down their weapons and leaped into the sea.

The battle continued on the deck of the merchantman, whose firing had
alarmed the other forty-one vessels, which now also began to discharge
their guns right and left, but without coming nearer, for they had no
desire to mingle in the fray, and, in the very midst of the fleet, the
pirates killed one half the Portuguese sailors, while losing only two of
their own number.

Barthelemy became master of the ship, and lashing it to the Sea Devil,
sailed off with both vessels at a wonderful rate of speed.

The two men-of-war that were guarding the fleet now appeared and gave
chase to the pirate craft.

Barthelemy fled for a time and, after drawing the two ships far enough
away, he suddenly turned, divided his crew between his own vessel and
the prize, and sailed toward the pursuers.

The latter seemed startled by this audacity, signalled to each other,
and while the pirates were wondering what was to be the outcome of their
clumsy manoeuvres, they stopped the chase and returned to the fleet,
leaving the Sea Devil to sail joyously over the high seas with her
booty.

* * * * *

The pirates landed on the coast of Guiana in a very merry mood. They had
plenty of money; for they had found in the captured ship eight thousand
gold coins, strings of oriental pearls sent by the Emperor of Brazil as
a gift to the Queen of Portugal, and whole chests of valuable goods.

And was it their intention to put the money at interest, the costly
fabrics in shops to be sold by the yard? No indeed, their custom was to
drink till the last gold coin was squandered. Whoever laid aside his
share of the booty was a traitor, and whoever withdrew with his money to
lead a respectable life, they killed.

This habit of the pirates was well-known on shore. They came on land
only when they had money and wanted to spend their treasure in the
shortest possible time. On the sea men trembled before them, on shore
they received them with open arms. There are documen