were directed to kill every man whom they saw at large
in the city, shooting or cutting down every man abroad without
hesitation, for Alvarado rightly divined that all the inhabitants would
be penned up in some prison or other and that none would be on the
streets except the buccaneers. There were still enough pirates in the
city greatly to outnumber his force, but many of them were drunk and all
of them, the Spaniard counted, would be unprepared. The advantage of the
surprise would be with his own men. If he could hold them in play for
twenty minutes the Viceroy with another detachment would arrive, and
thereafter the end would be certain. They could take prisoners then and
reserve them for torture and death--some meet punishment for their
crimes.

Those necessary preparations were made with the greatest speed, the men
were told off in their respective companies, and then, keeping close
under the shadow of the cliff for fear of a possible watcher, they
started forward.

Since ten old Ben Hornigold had been hidden in an arched recess of the
gateway waiting their arrival. He had thought, as the slow minutes
dragged by, that Alvarado had failed, and he began to contrive some way
by which he could account for his escape to Morgan in the morning, when
the captain would ask to have him produced, but the arrival of the
Spaniards relieved his growing anxiety.

"Donna Mercedes?" asked Alvarado of the old boatswain, as he entered the
gate.

"Safe when I left her in the guardroom with Morgan--and armed. If you
would see her alive----"

"This way----" cried Alvarado, dashing madly along the street toward the
fort.

Every man had his weapons in hand, and the little party had scarcely
gone ten steps before they met a buccaneer. He had been asleep when he
should have watched, and had just been awakened by the sound of their
approach. He opened his mouth to cry out, but Alvarado thrust his sword
through him before he could utter a sound. The moonlight made the street
as light as day, and before they had gone twenty steps farther, turning
the corner, they came upon a little party of the pirates. An immediate
alarm was given by them. The Spaniards brushed them aside by the
impetuosity of their onset, but on this occasion pistols were brought in
play. Screams and cries followed the shots, and calls to arms rang
through the town.

But by this time the other companies were in the city, and they were
making terrible havoc as they