fifty men in
them to seize and plunder the town. In the morning they discovered by
the flags which the men had put out, that the town was in the hands of
the English. Accordingly, all the men that could be spared from the ship
landed and learned that the enemy had been put to flight after a few
volleys had been exchanged. In the town they secured great quantities of
pitch and tar, besides oil, wine, flour and several other kinds of
provisions. Most of the Spaniards had fled to the hills, and the pirates
were afraid that at any moment they might be attacked. About sixty men
were sent out to search the valley and the country round about the town.
The whole region was found to be very pleasing, thickly set with groves
of figs, olives, oranges, lemons and other fruits. About four miles up
the valley appeared a great sugar factory, where sugar, oil and molasses
were found in abundance. The mill was deserted, and the pirates were
unable to capture any of the inhabitants, though from time to time the
Spaniards were seen marching along the hilltops whence they tumbled down
great stones and fired at random among the buccaneers.

At the sugar factory, under a flag of truce, the Spaniards promised to
deliver eighty beef cattle at the port the next day by noon as a ransom
for the building. Captain Sharp accordingly sent word that no violence
was to be offered to those who brought the beeves down to the ship.

The next morning, the Spaniards, bearing a flag of truce, came to
Captain Sharp and told him that sixteen of the cattle were already at
the port, and the rest would be there the next morning. Accordingly, the
raiders began their retreat to the sea, expecting to re-embark on the
ship. Ringrose thought that at least twenty men should be left behind at
the sugar house for a lookout to keep watch of the Spaniards, but he was
overruled on this and all went on to the port, where, however, no cattle
were found, nor was there evidence that any effort had been made to
bring them. The next morning Captain Sharp went again to the hills and
met the Spaniards, who promised that the cattle would certainly be there
by night, and accordingly it was decided to wait one day more. The next
morning the experience was repeated, but that day passed without any of
the beeves appearing, and on the following morning the pirates marched
to the village and burned not only the sugar mill but all of the
buildings round about, breaking the machinery and de