ded by the
Frenchman abovesaid, they marched towards the town, not by the common
way, but crossing through the woods, which way the Spaniards scarce
thought they would have come; for at the beginning of their march they
made as if they intended to come the next and open way to the town,
hereby to deceive the Spaniards: but these remembering full well what
Lolonois had done but two years before, thought it not safe to expect a
second brunt, and hereupon all fled out of the town as fast as they
could, carrying all their goods and riches, as also all the powder; and
having nailed all the great guns, so as the pirates found not one person
in the whole city, but one poor innocent man who was born a fool. This
man they asked whither the inhabitants were fled, and where they had hid
their goods. To all which questions and the like, he constantly
answered, "I know nothing, I know nothing:" but they presently put him
to the rack, and tortured him with cords; which torments forced him to
cry out, "Do not torture me any more, but come with me, and I will show
you my goods and my riches." They were persuaded, it seems, he was some
rich person disguised under those clothes so poor, and that innocent
tongue; so they went along with him, and he conducted them to a poor
miserable cottage, wherein he had a few earthen dishes and other things
of no value, and three pieces of eight, concealed with some other
trumpery underground. Then they asked him his name, and he readily
answered, "My name is Don Sebastian Sanchez, and I am brother unto the
governor of Maracaibo." This foolish answer, it must be conceived, these
inhuman wretches took for truth: for no sooner had they heard it, but
they put him again upon the rack, lifting him up on high with cords, and
tying huge weights to his feet and neck. Besides which, they burnt him
alive, applying palm-leaves burning to his face.

[Illustration: "'THEY HANGED HIM ON A TREE'"--_Page 146_]

The same day they sent out a party to seek for the inhabitants, on whom
they might exercise their cruelties. These brought back an honest
peasant with two daughters of his, whom they intended to torture as they
used others, if they showed not the places where the inhabitants were
hid. The peasant knew some of those places, and seeing himself
threatened with the rack, went with the pirates to show them; but the
Spaniards perceiving their enemies to range everywhere up and down the
woods, were already fled thenc