sly through them, advanced to the spot assigned
to each.

One was to attack the governor's house, and to make him a prisoner;
two others were to fall upon the barracks, and to do as much harm
as possible; while the fourth was to proceed to the government
magazines of stores and munitions, to fire these at a great many
places.

This programme was carried out successfully. The guards at the
governor's house were overpowered in an instant and, as it had been
surrounded, all the inmates were captured. Those of the men who
defended themselves were cut down, but Gerald and Ned had insisted
that no unnecessary slaughter should take place.

The party attacking the barracks had no such instructions. It was
legitimate for them to inflict as much loss as possible upon the
soldiers; and when, with terrible shouts, the negroes broke in upon
them, the Spaniards, taken by surprise, offered but a feeble
resistance. Large numbers of them were cut down, before they could
rally or open fire upon their enemies. As soon as the resistance
became serious, the negroes and Indians vanished, as quickly as
they had come.

In the meantime, the whole of the town was lit up by sheets of
fire, rising from the government magazines. The alarm bells of the
churches tolled out, the shouts of the frightened inhabitants
mingled with the yells of the natives, and the report of firearms,
from all parts of the town; and the townspeople thought that a
general sack and slaughter was at hand.

The negroes, however, entered no private house, but in an hour from
their first appearance they had retired beyond the town; and were
making their way, in a solid and well-ordered mass, for the forest,
bearing in their center the governor and two of his sons.

The success of the enterprise had been complete. They were now, Ned
thought, in a position, if not to dictate terms to the enemy, at
least to secure for themselves an immunity from attacks. Day was
breaking when they entered the hills and, an hour later, one of the
sons of the governor was sent to the party still besieging their
former stronghold, to inform them that the besieged had all
escaped, had made a raid upon the city, and had carried off the
governor; whose instructions to them was that they were to at once
fall back, to avoid being attacked by the negroes.

The officer commanding the besiegers was glad enough to call his
men together, and to retire unharmed from the forest; which now
began to ins