and sent under
command of Captain Edward Collier to join Morgan's fleet as a private
ship-of-war. Morgan had appointed the Isle la Vache, or Cow Island, on
the south side of Hispaniola, as the rendezvous for the privateers; and
thither flocked great numbers, both English and French, for the name of
Morgan was, by his exploit at Porto Bello, rendered famous in all the
neighbouring islands. Here, too, arrived the "Oxford" in December. Among
the French privateers were two men-of-war, one of which, the "Cour
Volant" of La Rochelle, commanded by M. la Vivon, was seized by Captain
Collier for having robbed an English vessel of provisions. A few days
later, on 2nd January, a council of war was held aboard the "Oxford,"
where it was decided that the privateers, now numbering about 900 men,
should attack Cartagena. While the captains were at dinner on the
quarter-deck, however, the frigate blew up, and about 200 men, including
five captains, were lost.[276] "I was eating my dinner with the rest,"
writes the surgeon, Richard Browne, "when the mainmasts blew out, and
fell upon Captains Aylett, Bigford, and others, and knocked them on the
head; I saved myself by getting astride the mizzenmast." It seems that
out of the whole ship only Morgan and those who sat on his side of the
table were saved. The accident was probably caused by the carelessness
of a gunner. Captain Collier sailed in la Vivon's ship for Jamaica,
where the French captain was convicted of piracy in the Admiralty Court,
and reprieved by Governor Modyford, but his ship confiscated.[277]

Morgan, from the rendezvous at the Isle la Vache, had coasted along the
southern shores of Hispaniola and made several inroads upon the island
for the purpose of securing beef and other provisions. Some of his
ships, meanwhile, had been separated from the body of the fleet, and at
last he found himself with but eight vessels and 400 or 500 men,
scarcely more than half his original company. With these small numbers
he changed his resolution to attempt Cartagena, and set sail for
Maracaibo, a town situated on the great lagoon of that name in
Venezuela. This town had been pillaged in 1667, just before the peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle, by 650 buccaneers led by two French captains,
L'Olonnais and Michel le Basque, and had suffered all the horrors
attendant upon such a visit. In March 1669 Morgan appeared at the
entrance to the lake, forced the passage after a day's hot bombardment,
dismantle