we kept a very
cautious lookout lest she should prove to be a war-vessel. As she came
nearer, however, we saw that she was a large merchant-vessel flying the
flag of Spain--that country that we had grown to hate with a hatred
passing words. She had not noticed us as yet, for we lay low in the
water and had no sail set. As soon, however, as she saw us coming
toward her, she made all sail to escape, and we followed in full
pursuit. Then, finding that we _were_ gaining upon her, she went about,
evidently with the intention of returning to the islands; but she was
doomed to be our prey. Every man of us, even Leirya himself, joined the
crew of oarsmen below, leaving only the helmsman on deck to steer and to
report progress to us below. Thus every oar was fully manned, and we
swept along after her, gaining on her hand over hand, until about the
middle of the afternoon the man at the helm threw us alongside her--for
she was unarmed with cannon and could not fire at us--and we all swarmed
up from below and on to her decks. Such was our ferocity that we
cleared their deck at once, leaving dead and wounded in our path, the
whole of whom--quick and dead alike--we at once flung overboard.

"We did not require the galley any longer, so we took all her guns and
arms, and furnished the ship with them, sinking the galley afterwards,
and thus hiding all trace of our former crime. We got under way
directly after this, still making for the islands, and then provisions
and wine, of which there were plenty on the ship, were got up, and we
caroused and made merry for the rest of the day.

"We soon found that the new vessel was not suitable for us; but she was
ere long the means of enabling us to obtain another to suit our purpose,
without any loss of life to us."

CHAPTER TEN.

WILLIAM EVANS CONTINUES HIS YARN.

"We were now about two days' sail from the island of Porto Rico, and we
had discovered from the ship's papers that it was from the Port of San
Juan in that island that she had recently sailed.

"The name of the craft was the _Villa de Vera Cruz_, and our plan was to
re-christen her, alter her rig and general appearance, and sail boldly
into the Port of San Juan, hoping to be taken for some vessel just
arrived from Spain or elsewhere. Then, if unmolested, we should examine
the harbour; and, if it were found to contain any vessel suitable for
our purpose, the plan was that we were to wait for nightfall, and then
bo