as quite possible
that a band of Spaniards might be somewhere upon it; and, if so, they
would probably have witnessed the arrival of the ship, and might, if
strong enough, attempt to surprise and capture both camp and ship. The
men therefore made up little parties, and for the most part went off
into the woods, either to gather more fruit or to look for gold, some of
them seeming to be possessed of a firm conviction that, being now in
"the Indies", they must inevitably find the precious metal if they only
searched for it with sufficient diligence. As for Dick and Stukely, the
latter having by this time done all that he could for his patients, they
went off for a stroll together along the beach, in the direction of the
southern end of the bay.

"Well, Dick, what think ye of fighting, now that you have had a taste of
it?" demanded Stukely, slipping his hand under Chichester's arm as they
turned their backs upon the camp. "And, by the way," he continued,
without waiting for a reply to his question, "you must permit me to
offer the tribute of my most respectful admiration; for I am told that
you carried yourself like a right valiant and redoubtable cavalier;
indeed the Captain has not hesitated to say that, but for your most
furious onslaught upon the Spaniards' rear this morning, while he was
leading the attack by way of the main rigging, matters were like enough
to have gone very differently with us."

"Oh, that is all nonsense," laughed Dick. "I saw that Marshall wished
to reach the deck of the Spaniard; I noticed that the Spanish crew had
all congregated together in one place to stop him; and it struck me that
I could best help by falling upon them in the rear, which I saw might be
done right easily, there being no man to stop me--so--I did it."

"Precisely; with the result that the Spaniards, finding themselves thus
suddenly and furiously assailed by one who bore himself like a very
Orson, and feeling no desire to have their brains beaten out with so
heathenish a weapon as a handspike, incontinently gave way before you
and scattered, affording Marshall an opportunity to climb in over the
bulwarks. But were ye not afraid, lad, that some proud Spaniard,
resenting your interference, might slit your weasand with his long
sword?"

"Afraid?" returned Dick. "Not a whit. 'Tis true that when we first
sighted the enemy coming out from behind this same island, and I learned
that our Captain meant to attack him, I turne