ichester to that position, in recognition of the extraordinary valour
which he had displayed on the previous day by boarding the Spanish ship
and attacking her crew, single-handed, in the rear, thereby distracting
the attention of the enemy and contributing in no small measure to their
subsequent speedy defeat. This decision on the part of the Captain,
strange to say, met with universal and unqualified approval; for Dick's
unassuming demeanour and geniality of manner had long since made him
popular and a general favourite, while his superior intelligence, his
almost instinctive grasp of everything pertaining to a ship and her
management, and his dauntless courage, marked him out as in every
respect most suitable for the position which he had been chosen to fill.

The next two days were spent in clearing everything movable out of the
ship, in preparation for heaving her down; after which she was careened
until her keel was out of water, when the grass, weed, and barnacles
which had grown upon her bottom during the voyage were effectually
removed, her seams were carefully examined, and re-caulked where
required, and then her bottom was re-painted. This work was pushed
forward with the utmost expedition, lest an enemy should heave in sight
and touch at the island while the ship was hove down--for a ship is
absolutely helpless and at the mercy of an enemy while careened--and
when this part of the work was satisfactorily completed, all necessary
repairs made, and the hull re-caulked and re-painted right up to the
rail, the masts, spars, rigging, and sails were subjected to a strict
overhaul and renovation. This work was done in very leisurely fashion;
for Marshall had by this time quite made up his mind to lie in wait for
the plate ship which, as he had learned through documents found on board
the _Santa Clara_, was loading at Cartagena for Cadiz, and he speedily
arrived at the conclusion that a considerable amount of the waiting
might as well be done at Barbados as elsewhere. For the climate of the
island was healthy, the sick were making excellent progress on the road
toward recovery, and it was essential to the success of his enterprise
that every man of his crew should be in perfect health; moreover, apart
from the crew of the _Santa Clara_--which ship, he had every reason to
believe, was daily forcing her way farther toward the heart of the North
Atlantic--not a soul knew, or even suspected, the presence of the
_Adve