yells, rush upon the fort, only
to be beaten back by the well-directed volleys of the garrison. They
charged up to the very walls, threw over fireballs, and hacked the
timbers with axes, but to no avail. From behind their impregnable
ramparts, the Spaniards fired murderous volleys, crying out.--

"Come on, you English devils, you heretics, the enemies of God and of
the king! Let your comrades who are behind come also. We will serve
them as we have served you. You shall not get to Panama this time."

As night fell, the pirates withdrew into the thickets to escape the
fire of their enemies, and to discuss their discomfiture. As one group
of buccaneers lay in the jungle, a chance arrow, shot by an Indian in
the fort, struck one of them in the arm. Springing to his feet with a
cry of rage and pain, the wounded man cried out as he tore the arrow
from the bleeding wound,--

"Look here, my comrades. I will make this accursed arrow the means of
the destruction of all the Spaniards."

So saying, he wrapped a quantity of cotton about the head of the
arrow, charged his gun with powder, and, thrusting the arrow into the
muzzle, fired. His comrades eagerly watched the flight of the missile,
which was easily traced by the flaming cotton. Hurtling through the
air, the fiery missile fell upon a thatched roof within the castle,
and the dry straw and leaves were instantly in a blaze. With cries of
savage joy, the buccaneers ran about picking up the arrows that lay
scattered over the battle-field. Soon the air was full of the
fire-brands, and the woodwork within the castle enclosure was a mass
of flame. One arrow fell within the magazine; and a burst of smoke and
flame, and the dull roar of an explosion, followed. The Spaniards
worked valiantly to extinguish the flames, and to beat back their
assailants; but the fire raged beyond their control, and the bright
light made them easy targets for their foes. There could be but one
issue to such a conflict. By morning the fort was in the hands of the
buccaneers, and of the garrison of three hundred and fourteen only
fourteen were unhurt. Over the ruins of the fort the English flag was
hoisted, the shattered walls were repaired, and the place made a
rendezvous for Morgan's forces.

On the scene of the battle Morgan drilled his forces, and prepared for
the march and battles that were to come. After some days' preparation,
the expedition set out. The road lay through tangled tropical forests,