. Will
then landed with a party of ten well-armed men, and at once began to make
a careful examination of the beach. In a short time they found a
well-beaten path going up through the wood. Before following this,
however, Will took the precaution to have fifteen more men sent ashore, as
it was, of course, impossible to say how many of a guard had been left at
the head-quarters. When the second party had landed, all advanced
cautiously up the path, holding their muskets in readiness for instant
action. They met, however, with no opposition; the pirates were evidently
unaware of their presence. They had gone but a very short distance when
they came to a large clearing, in the middle of which they saw several
large huts and three great storehouses. They went on at the double towards
them, but they had gone only a short distance when they heard a shout and
a shot, and saw a dozen men and a number of women issue from the backs of
the huts and make for the wood.

"Now, my lads," shouted Will, "break open the doors of those storehouses;
there is not likely to be much that is of value in the huts. You had
better take four men, Dimchurch, and set fire to them all; of course you
can just look in and see if there is anything worth taking before you
apply a light."

Will himself superintended the breaking open of the storehouses. When he
entered the first he paused in amazement; it was filled to the very top
with boxes and bales. The other two were in a similar condition.

"There is enough to fill the cutter and the prize a dozen times," Will
said. "I expect they trade to some extent with the Spaniards, but they
evidently had another intention in storing these goods. Probably they
proposed, when they had amassed sufficient, to charter a large ship, fill
her up to the hatchways, and sail to some American port or some other
place where questions are not usually asked."

There was a safe in the corner of one of the storehouses; this they blew
open, and when Will examined its contents he found that they consisted of
the papers and manifests of cargoes of no fewer than eleven ships.

"My conjecture was right," he said. "They intended, no doubt, to keep some
large merchantman they had captured, fill her with the contents of their
prizes, and then with the papers and manifests of cargo they could go
almost anywhere and dispose of their ill-gotten goods."

"I have no doubt that is so, sir," Dimchurch said; "I only wonder they did
not