astles for safety, of course
fell into the hands of the victors, as also did a vast amount of money
and plate.

Amazed that a town so strongly fortified as Porto Bello, and so well
garrisoned, should have been captured by so small a force, the president
of Panama sent a message to Morgan, desiring a pattern of the arms by
which he had performed so desperate an exploit. Morgan treated the
messenger with courtesy, and returned to the president a pistol and
several bullets, as a slender pattern of the arms he had used,
requesting his Excellency to preserve them carefully for a twelvemonth,
when he promised to come to Panama and bring them away. The president,
however, sent the articles back again, to save the pirate chief the
trouble of coming after them. He also sent him as a gift a gold ring,
with a civil request that he would not trouble himself to come to Panama
at the time mentioned, since he would not be likely to fare so well as
he had at Porto Bello. Morgan, after having destroyed the military walls
at Porto Bello, reembarked with his numbers greatly diminished by
battle, debauchery, and disease, and returned to Jamaica.

The fame of exploits like these caused the name of Morgan to resound
throughout Europe; and large numbers of the English chivalry, men of
family and rank, hastened to the New World, either to mend dilapidated
fortunes, or to acquire new ones, and to participate in the unlawful
glory which even the darkness of the deeds by which it was won could not
eclipse. These recruits attached themselves to Morgan, and eagerly
accepted commands under him. The bold rover gave them commissions in the
name of the king of England, authorizing them to commit hostilities
against the Spaniards, whom he declared to be the enemies of the British
crown. To such an amazing extent did the buccaneering system increase,
that more than four thousand men were now engaged in it, two thousand of
whom were under Morgan, with a fleet of thirty-seven vessels, divided
into squadrons, and appointed with all the formality of an independent
sovereignty. Their place of rendezvous was between Tortuga and St.
Domingo, the coast of the latter being plundered for provisions. A
squadron of four sail was also sent to the region of the Rio de la Hacha
upon the same errand, where a large ship was captured, the coast
successfully ravaged, and many prisoners put to death, as in former
instances, by the most exquisite tortures.

All things bei