of the pirates, which he overheard in their
discourse, while they thought he did not understand English. The
Spaniards upon this advice began to hide their riches, and carry away
their movables; the governor immediately raised all the people of the
town, freemen and slaves, and with part of them took a post by which of
necessity the pirates must pass, and commanded many trees to be cut down
and laid cross the ways to hinder their passage, placing several
ambuscades strengthened with some pieces of cannon to play upon them on
their march. He gathered in all about eight hundred men, of which
detaching part into the said ambuscades, with the rest he begirt the
town, drawing them up in a spacious field, whence they could see the
coming of the pirates at length.

Captain Morgan, with his men, now on the march, found the avenues to the
town unpassable; hereupon they took their way through the wood,
traversing it with great difficulty, whereby they escaped divers
ambuscades; at last they came to the plain, from its figure called by
the Spaniards La Savanna, or the Sheet. The governor seeing them come,
detached a troop of horse to charge them in the front, thinking to
disperse them, and to pursue them with his main body: but this design
succeeded not, for the pirates marched in very good order, at the sound
of their drums, and with flying colours; coming near the horse they drew
into a semicircle, and so advanced towards the Spaniards, who charged
them valiantly for a while; but the pirates being very dextrous at their
arms, and their governor, with many of their companions, being killed,
they retreated towards the wood, to save themselves with more
advantage; but before they could reach it, most of them were
unfortunately killed by the pirates. Thus they left the victory to these
new-come enemies, who had no considerable loss of men in the battle, and
but very few wounded. The skirmish lasted four hours: they entered the
town not without great resistance of such as were within, who defended
themselves as long as possible, and many seeing the enemy in the town,
shut themselves up in their own houses, and thence made several shots
upon the pirates; who thereupon threatened them, saying, "If you
surrender not voluntarily, you shall soon see the town in a flame, and
your wives and children torn to pieces before your faces." Upon these
menaces the Spaniards submitted to the discretion of the pirates,
believing they could not conti