oth sides became busy, the Spaniards having a slight
advantage because of the superior height of their ship, although this
was more than counterbalanced by the greater quickness and accuracy of
aim on the part of the English, who shot as coolly as though they had
been practising at the butts, and seldom failed to hit their mark.
Nevertheless, several Englishmen went down during the ensuing five
minutes, and were carried below to Stukely, who now began to find
himself surrounded by quite as many patients as he could conveniently
attend to. Then the two ships crashed together, the grapnels were
thrown, and Marshall, followed by every man whose legs could carry him
and whose hands could wield a weapon, sprang into the Spaniard's main
rigging, leaving the _Adventure_ to take care of herself.

It was a rash thing to do, perhaps; but it succeeded; for the Spaniards
were too busily engaged in endeavouring to keep the enemy out of their
own ship to think of boarding the other. And most desperate was the
fight that ensued, the English being fully determined to force their way
aboard the Spaniard, while the Spanish were as fully determined that
they should not. The air became thick with flying arrows, and with the
smoke of grenades and stinkpots flung down upon the boarders out of the
enemy's tops; while swords and pikes flashed in the sun, pistols popped,
and men shouted and execrated as they cut and slashed at each other; and
the glorious tropic morning was filled with the sounds of deadly strife.
Dick Chichester--to let the reader into a secret--had, upon the first
appearance of the Spanish ship, been greatly exercised in his mind lest
he should fail in courage when the two ships came to blows; but with the
discharge of the first shot the queer agitated feeling which he had
mistaken for fear completely passed away, and was instantly forgotten;
and now, his services being no longer required at the helm, he armed
himself with a handspike snatched from the deck, and, watching his
opportunity, flung himself from the _Adventure's_ poop into the enemy's
mizzen chains, climbing thence to the Spaniard's poop, where was no one
to oppose him. From thence he made his way down to the main deck, where
were gathered all the crew in one spot, crowding together to resist the
attack of the English; and upon the rear of these he flung himself with
indescribable fury, whirling the terrible handspike with such
destructive effect that the astou