omen had
been forced into the great cabin, where they were guarded by men in whom
confidence could be placed. The priests were allowed to minister to
their dying compatriots so long as they kept out of the way of the
sailors. No feeling of pity or compassion induced Morgan to withhold the
women from his crew. He was a man of prudent foresight and he preserved
them for a purpose, a purpose in which the priests were included.

In the hold of the ship nearly one hundred and fifty wretched prisoners
were discovered. They were the crew of the buccaneer ship _Daring_,
which had been commanded by a famous adventurer named Ringrose, who had
been captured by a Spanish squadron after a desperate defense off the
port of Callao, Peru. They were being transported to Spain, where they
had expected summary punishment for their iniquities. No attention
whatever had been paid to their protests that they were Englishmen, and
indeed the statement was hardly true for at least half of them belonged
to other nations. In the long passage from Callao to the Isthmus and
thence through the Caribbean they had been kept rigorously under
hatches. Close confinement for many days and enforced subsistence upon a
scanty and inadequate diet had caused many to die and impaired the
health of the survivors. When the hatch covers were opened, the chains
unshackled and the miserable wretches brought on deck, their condition
moved even some of the buccaneers to pity. The galleon was generously
provided for her long cruise across the ocean, and the released
prisoners, by Morgan's orders, were liberally treated. No work was
required of them; they were allowed to wander about the decks at
pleasure, refreshed by the open air, the first good meal they had
enjoyed in several months, and by a generous allowance of spirits. As
soon as they learned the object of the cruise, without exception they
indicated their desire to place themselves under the command of Morgan.
Ringrose, their captain, had been killed, and they were without a
leader, which was fortunate in that it avoided the complications of
divided command. Fortunate, that is, for Ringrose, for Morgan would have
brooked no rival on such an expedition.

As soon as it could be done, a more careful inspection and calculation
satisfied the buccaneer of the immense value of his prize. The lading of
the galleon, consisting principally of silver bullion, was probably
worth not far from a million Spanish dollars--pie