press him to death; they
also kindled palm leaves, and applied the flame to the face of this
unfortunate Portuguese, burning with them the whole skin, beard, and
hair. At last, seeing that neither with these tortures, nor others, they
could get anything out of him, they untied the cords, and carried him
half dead to the church, where was their corps du guard; here they tied
him anew to one of the pillars thereof, leaving him in that condition,
without giving him either to eat or drink, unless very sparingly, and so
little that would scarce sustain life for some days; four or five being
past, he desired one of the prisoners might come to him, by whose means
he promised he would endeavour to raise some money to satisfy their
demands. The prisoner whom he required was brought to him, and he
ordered him to promise the pirate five hundred pieces of eight for his
ransom; but they were deaf and obstinate at such a small sum, and
instead of accepting it, beat him cruelly with cudgels, saying, "Old
fellow, instead of five hundred, you must say five hundred thousand
pieces of eight; otherwise you shall here end your life." Finally, after
a thousand protestations that he was but a miserable man, and kept a
poor tavern for his living, he agreed with them for one thousand pieces
of eight. These he raised, and having paid them, got his liberty; though
so horribly maimed, that it is scarce to be believed he could survive
many weeks.

Others were crucified by these tyrants, and with kindled matches burnt
between the joints of their fingers and toes: others had their feet put
into the fire, and thus were left to be roasted alive. Having used these
and other cruelties with the white men, they began to practise the same
with the negroes, their slaves, who were treated with no less inhumanity
than their masters.

Among these slaves was one who promised Captain Morgan to conduct him to
a river of the lake, where he should find a ship and four boats, richly
laden with goods of the inhabitants of Maracaibo: the same discovered
likewise where the governor of Gibraltar lay hid, with the greatest part
of the women of the town; but all this he revealed, upon great menaces
to hang him, if he told not what he knew. Captain Morgan sent away
presently two hundred men in two settees, or great boats, to this river,
to seek for what the slave had discovered; but he himself, with two
hundred and fifty more, undertook to go and take the governor. This
g