peal had an effect, and, drawing their
swords, the Spanish captain and his superior officers sided with the
English. On rushed the infuriated Spaniards, uttering the fiercest
oaths and threats of vengeance. Fortunately, besides the two muskets
many of the English had knives, and all had provided themselves with
boats' stretchers, or pieces of spars, which served the purpose of
singlesticks. They were thus not ill prepared to meet their assailants.
The shock came. Headed by Lieutenant Hemming they stood firm. One of
the first victims was a young Spanish officer. He fell pierced to the
heart by the knife of one of his countrymen. It showed the Spanish
officers that their safety depended on that of the English. Again and
again the infuriated wretches rushed at them; but were beaten off by the
English quarter-staves. All this time the wind had been howling and the
sea dashing fiercely against the rocks; indeed, the elements were in
perfect accordance with the mad strife going forward on that isolated
spot of earth. Night too came on to add to the horrors of the scene.
Then the clouds opened and flashes of the most vivid lightning darting
from the sky played like fiery serpents round the rock, while crashing
peals of thunder rattled and roared around them. At first the seamen
took no notice of the storm; then came a loud, thundering explosion, and
two of their number lay blackened corpses on the ground. In an instant,
seeing what had occurred, they fled with shrieks of dismay down the rock
to the spot whence they had come. Amid wind and rain, the lightning
flashing and the thunder roaring, the survivors passed that terrific
night.

The day dawned at last. Hemming's first resolve was to try and
conciliate the unfortunate wretches by offering them food. Their
officers gladly agreed to the proposal. The sun came out, the driftwood
dried, and at last a fire was kindled. The Spanish officers were far
superior to the English in the art of cooking. They made hot cakes out
of the wet biscuit, and in a short time had a number of nice-looking
little bits of meat ran upon wooden skewers. Having satisfied their own
hunger, they offered the food to the men below, who at first thought
that they were mocking them; but when assured that the Englishmen were
willing to forget what had passed, one by one came up with a sulky and
doubting manner to take what was offered to them.

"I doubt those fellows even now," observed Ad