ur spirits. I truly believe
that we valued the prospect of obtaining our liberty much more from the
chance of having to fight for it. We were only eager for the fray to
begin. We could not tell exactly how we were to find out our enemies;
but Mr Gale charged us not to attack anyone till we were attacked,
unless we received directions from Captain Helfrich, or the stranger who
had just visited us.

The state of things which existed, it appeared, among this community of
sea-robbers, showed me a truth which I have since found frequently
confirmed, that oaths are of little or no value among men who are
continually breaking God's laws. They are kept as a rule only as long
as it is convenient or necessary to each individual to keep them; but
the moment he thinks it to his advantage to break them, he does so
without the slightest compunction. The terrific oaths which were
supposed to bind together the ruffians of the Blackbeard school, were
over and over again broken, and would never have been kept unless
interest, or the lowest superstition, had held the ruffians faithful to
them. The value of an oath, as a pledge taken in the sight of the
Almighty God, they could not comprehend. Much the same was evidently
the case in the present instance; and here there was every prospect of a
long existing community of outlaws breaking up from internal
dissensions. We could only earnestly hope that such might be their
fate. "Depend on it, Jack, my boy," said Peter to me, when talking on
the subject, "there's only one thing can bind men truly together, and
that is honesty of purpose. Real friendship cannot exist among knaves."
In my long life I have invariably found his remarks verified.

Hour after hour passed away while we waited for the signal. Of course
we were very anxious, but our spirits rather rose than fell as we talked
over the various plans which it might be necessary for us to adopt to
effect our escape. We had an advantage the pirate who visited us did
not suspect: we had surveyed the ground from our look-out, and knew that
our own schooner, or one like her, was at the mouth of the harbour. We
agreed, as soon as we had driven back the Spaniards and their party, to
set fire to their stores; and while they were endeavouring to put them
out, to make a rush for the boats, and thus to effect our escape down
the lagoon.

The night had become very silent--not a sound was heard, either on shore
or on the water. There w