and during this time the
galleon had been mainly left to navigate herself--Morgan deemed it a
suitable occasion to announce his ultimate designs to the men.

"Gentlemen, shipmates, and bold hearts all," he cried, waving his hand
for silence, "we have captured the richest prize probably that floats on
the ocean. There are pieces of eight and silver bullion enough beneath
the hatches, as I have told you, to make us rich for life, to say
nothing of the gold, jewels, spices, and whatnot, besides----"

He was interrupted by another yell of appreciation.

"But, men," he continued, "I hardly know what to do with it."

"Give it to us," roared a voice, which was greeted with uproarious
laughter, "we'll make away with it."

Morgan marked down with his eye the man who had spoken and went on.

"The ports of His Majesty, the King of England, will be closed to us so
soon as our capture of the _Mary Rose_ is noted. England is at peace
with the world. There is not a French or Spanish port that would give us
a haven. If we appeared anywhere in European waters with this galleon
we would be taken and hanged. Now, what's to be done?"

"Run the ship ashore on the New England coast," cried the man who had
spoken before. "Divide the treasure. Burn the ship and scatter. Let
every man look to his own share and his own neck."

"A plan, a plan!"

"Ay, that'll be the way of it!"

"Sawkins is right!"

"To the New England shore! Ben Hornigold will pilot the ship!" burst in
confused clamor from the crew to whom the plan appealed.

"By heaven, no!" shouted Morgan. "That's well enough for you, not for
me. I'm a marked man. You can disappear. I should be taken, and
Hornigold and Raveneau and the rest. It won't do. We must stay by the
ship."

"And what then?"

"Keep to the original plan. We'll sail this ship down to the Spanish
Main and capture a town, divide our treasure, make our way overland to
the Pacific, where we'll find another ship, and then away to the South
Seas! Great as is our booty, there is still more to be had there for the
taking. We'll be free to go where we please with the whole South
American coast at hand. There are islands, tropic islands, there, where
it's always summer. They are ours for the choosing. We can establish
ourselves there. We'll found a community, with every man a law for
himself. We'll----"

But the recital of this Utopian dream was rudely interrupted.

"Nay, Master," cried Sawkins, who had done mos