The event, as it happened, fell in very handily with Prince Rupert's mood. Small gains were as useful to his Highness as nothing at all; it was constantly in his mind that he had to keep supplied the Court of his Majesty8 King Charles II. at The Hague; and, in fine, it was pieces-of-eight by the puncheonful and not by the purse which he sought. So he proposed manning the pink more stoutly10, saying with purposeful vagueness that he intended to venture out upon the seas again in search of plate ships; and the buccaneers, who had helped him take her, agreed with shouts and a salvo from the guns.
There was little time lost in debauch11. The nine surviving buccaneers were, it is true, too drunk and too encumbered12 by their fine clothes to do much towards the working of the pink; but they sat about the decks, each with an open liquor cask convenient to one hand and a naked sword to the other; and the Spanish prisoners, with the terror of death heavy upon them, were easily persuaded to do the necessary seamen's work on this vessel13 which had so lately been their own. The pink was sailed up a convenient creek14 of Hispaniola, where forests grew down to the water's edge, and there careened by tackles from her lower mast-heads to the tree roots. Five of the buccaneers departed various ways into the country to secure recruits for this new expedition, and the other four, with Prince Rupert and Master Stephen Laughan, his secretary, stayed behind to guard the Spaniards and keep them diligently15 at their work.
Now this Master Laughan (that was in truth a maid) had been taunted16 a-many times by rude fellows with being a mere17 encumbrance18 to his Highness, and inwardly raged at a certain inborn19 natural timidity, which on inopportune occasion would out. But at last Master Laughan (moist-eyed, and very sorrowful) was resolved openly to trample20 these qualms21 underfoot by some piece of desperate valour, or perish pitifully in the attempt. And here lay an enterprise ready to hand. Beforetime, when a guest with Prince Rupert under the roof of Monsieur D'Ogeron, the Governor of Tortuga, the secretary had learned concerning a vastly rich pearl fishery of the Spaniards in a bay at the farther side of Hispaniola. This knowledge Master Laughan had kept secret, timorously22 dreading23 lest the Prince with a small force should attempt its capture, in spite of the heaviness of its guarding.
But certain sneers26 that were dropped by two of those barbarous buccaneers after the storming of the pink (whereat indeed Master Laughan's sword-arm was reddened to the elbow) had driven the poor creature half frantic27 with mortification28, and in agony of wounded pride the news of the pearl fishery was whispered into Prince Rupert's ear.
His Highness heard the scheme with a glowing face. "My lad," he cried, "this is a more profitable adventure than any I have dreamed about. But why have I not been told it before?"
"Because," said Master Laughan, craftily29, "your Highness lacked all followers30 save my poor self, and I feared to tantalise you by pointing out the impossible.
"Arnidieu!" swore Rupert, "you should have left me to be judge of that, Master Laughan. I have done the impossible so many times before, that I begin to think there is small meaning in the word. Besides, as you well knew, I was a desperate man in a desperate case. I have pawned31 the King's fleet for six months without his leave or signature, and it is a fact that if I do not earn plunder32 without the ships here, I shall earn censure33 at The Hague."
"I judged all these things," said the secretary, with a sigh, "and the only excuse I can put forward is my poor affection for your Highness's safety."
"Thou'rt a good lad," said the Prince testily—"a well-enough-meaning lad, but at times a short-seeing fool. My life has passed through too many thousand risks to be cut off with a few more. And besides, adventure is meat, drink and opium34 to me; it is a habit which I cannot shake off, nor wish to do; and let that suffice. And now for a chart, and more of your tale."
They went down to the cabin, which was hard to reach and ill to stand in, since the pink was careened with one of her bilges clear of the water. They found a chart and laid it upon the almost upright table, and to look at it stood on the bunk35 coamings by reason of the heel. The thump36 and squeak37 of the scrapers as the men shredded38 the growth of weed and barnacles from the planking came to their ears as they handled the chart, and with it a quaintly39 strange smell of burning as the men breamed the ship's bottom.
"We could be cleverer with more knowledge on these fisheries," said the Prince, and thrust his head up through the skylight and shouted that word should be passed for the erstwhile captain of the pink.
The Spaniard came presently, shirtless, with his back a mass of stripes.
"Se?or," said the Prince, "I think you have been foolish, and not bowed to the fortune of war. I see my fellows have been writing their displeasure upon you. It would have been wiser to have shown philosophy and done your appointed tale of work."
"Se?or capitan," said the Spaniard, "I am a philosopher, but not an atheist41. Up till now I have worked with all the goodwill42 that could be expected from a slave, but when your fellows for the le?a para la lumbre—I know not how you call it——"
"Breaming faggots."
"For their breaming faggots, used that which was holy, and would have had me participate in their sin, why then, se?or, I refused to put my soul in jeopardy43, and rebelled."
The Prince looked puzzled. "You are speaking beyond me."
"Se?or," said the Spaniard, "as part of my cargo, which you took from me, were three cases of papal indulgences. They were entrusted45 to my care by the Bishop46 of Maracaibo, who knows me as a devout47 Catholic."
"Well?" said the Prince.
"Se?or capitan," said the prisoner, "it is with these parchments, these things of indescribable holiness, that your fellows would have us bream the underplanking of the ship. Some of my compatriots are weak: they have twisted the sacred writings up into torches, and I saw them thereby48 bartering49 away their souls before my very eyes. I alone resisted. I alone have earned stripes, and this martyrdom. But you, se?or capitan, you are not a rude man, like those on deck. You will not ensure your eternal damnation by permitting this sacrilege to continue?"
"At present," said the Prince, "I do not see cause for interference, being so curiously50 constituted as to think that I can earn Heaven without the Pope's helping51."
"You are a blasphemer."
"No, I am a Protestant, and heed52 papal thunders as little as a duck fears water; but, se?or, I will permit you to ransom53 what remains54 over of this consignment55 of indulgences on easy terms."
The Spaniard stepped forward eagerly enough, then stopped and frowned. "Se?or," he said, "you are playing with me. You know me to be a ruined man."
"On the contrary," said the Prince, "you still own one small commodity, and I would buy that from you on easy terms. You have information about the pearl fisheries in this bay, which I have marked here on your chart. Tell me how they are guarded and how worked, and I will wed40 you once more to freedom, amigo, with the parchments as your dowry."
"You ask me to be traitor56 to my country."
"These good gentlemen on deck," suggested the Prince, "might offer you the alternative of having your nose and other portions of your honoured anatomy57 carved in slices, and lighted matches put between your fingers. It would injure my feelings sorely if I had to hand you over to their power of persuasiveness58. And in the meantime, these excellent parchments from Rome, on which you seem to set so much store, are flickering59 away to ash. If a layman60 might judge, it seems to me that you are now personally responsible for their destruction."
"Se?or," said the Spaniard, "your diplomacy61 is as invincible62 as your sword-arm. May you live a thousand years. I must ransom these holy writings at whatever cost." And forthwith, so soon as the Prince had bidden those on deck burn no more of the papal indulgences, the Spaniard broke into narrative63 and told all about the pearls and the manner of their fishing.
It appeared that the industry was then at its zenith. The fishing had gone on for years with always increasing success; but now that many towns of the Main had been raided by enemies, and Spain was still clamouring for the undiminished cargoes64 of treasure, a greater effort than formerly65 was made to wrest66 this wealth from the fastnesses of the sea. First and last two thousand men were toiling67 at the fishery. It was worked from small brigantines of ten or a dozen tons, of which there were an amazing number. Each night these brought their catch to a great storeship which lay at anchor in the bay, heavily armed. And for the protection of the armed storeship was a war-carrack, full of arms and men always on guard, together with two armed galleys68 of fifty oars69 apiece.
The Spaniard said it was the easiest way imaginable of gathering70 wealth, the only difficulty being a shortness in the supply of the Guinea blackmen who were used for the diving. These, it seemed, through being forced by their masters to remain under water for twenty minutes at a stretch, deteriorated71 in strength, and indeed with frequency would most exasperatingly72 die. There was no relying (said the Spaniard) on the blackamoors to be useful servants, and this was the greater pity because no other substitute could be used, since the sharks which abound73 in these latitudes74 attack white men or the native Indians when swimming in the water, but avoid the blacks by reason of their pungent75 smell.
Much more too upon this matter the fellow told, because having once (as he termed it) done treachery to his country, it mattered little whether the treachery was big or small; but it was plain to see that there was a method in his telling. He admitted that the pearls were there, which of course Prince Rupert had learned already; he spoke76 upon the methods of fishing, which carried with them a certain pleasant interest; but he was unmistakable in his painting of the care with which they were guarded.
"They know, se?or," quoth he, "that your Excellencies, the Brethren of the Coast, would be only too happy to make a transference of these precious gleanings, and they are quite prepared to defend them to the uttermost. The storeship and the guardship are both mighty77 vessels78, and crammed79 with men. The bay is land-locked and smooth, and they lie there to their anchors, with guns run out and loaded, with boarding nettings triced up to the yard-arms, hand-grenades ranged ready, and close-quarters all set up convenient for a fight. They are fine ships both, with lofty forecastles and aftercastles. Their crews are picked men, and constantly exercised with their weapons. They are in sooth, se?or, floating fortresses80, and nothing but an armada could reduce them."
So the Spaniard spoke on, and Master Laughan hearkened to the words with a sinking heart, and mightily82 regretted ever having yielded to those goadings which, in a moment of desperation, led to the Prince being first told about the fisheries. But Prince Rupert listened with appetite. He smiled pleasantly when he heard of the richness of the pearls in store, and his eye kindled83 as the Spaniard described with how great accuracy they were guarded; and when at the end of his narration84 the Spaniard said he hoped he had shown how impossible it was for even the bravest of men to overcome the defenders85 and ravish the store, the Prince laughed merrily, and said he had done just the reverse. "I am a man," quoth he, "that likes a kernel86 all the better, and hammers for it all the cleverer, when the nut is hard a-cracking."
"Yet I do not see how you can finger those pearls?" said the Spaniard.
"And I," said the Prince, "shall not tell my plans to you or any other living soul, amigo. Plans shared are easily spread, and plans spread are handily baulked."
Now, it is the custom of the buccaneers, when they sail on an expedition, that the scheme of campaign should be laid open and voted upon by all hands; and it says much for the influence that Prince Rupert gained on the rude men who formed his following and they consented that he should override87 this hard-and-fast rule. It was not, as most who read these memoirs88 will at once suppose, that they deferred89 to his exalted90 birth: in fact, the item of his being of princely rank rather warred against him in their eyes than otherwise. It was simply his influence as a man, and his obvious power of conducting affairs, which gave him this paramount91 weight; and these savage92 fellows, both French and English, who before had owned none as master save their own desires, were content to set Rupert over them with an absolute power of life and death. So a charter-party of rules was drawn93 up and sworn to with Bible oaths, and a scale was appointed by which all plunder was divided.
Meanwhile, the refitting of the pink was attended to with infinite patience and skill. Her bottom was breamed, as has been said, and scraped to the smoothness of glass, and then varnished94 over the yellow wood. The rigging, both standing95 and running, was overhauled96 and reset-up. The sails were all new bent97, and the armament thoroughly98 attended to. The pink was a vessel with a fine turn of speed, and for his purpose Prince Rupert wanted this speed at its best. For, to be plain, he destined99 the vessel for a feint attack, and intended to leave her reliant for safety solely100 upon the nimbleness of her heels.
A dozen days were spent about this industry, and one by one recruits arrived from over the savannahs. And then the pink was warped102 out into the stream, and towed out of the creek by her boats to a good offing, and there, with a prayer and a psalm103, committed to canvas and the care of God. Forty-three seasoned hunters formed her fighting crew, each with powder, bullets, buccaneering-piece, bayonet, and skinning-knives; and for her working, there remained fifteen Spaniards, one of whom, being skilled in the use of backstaff and other utensils104 of navigation, was appointed sailing-master, with promise of early enlargement. Then for the first time Prince Rupert made known the whole of his schemes, and the buccaneers, in a passion of enthusiasm, ran to the great guns of the pink, and fired off a shotted salute105 in his honour.
But, great as his influence was, in one matter Prince Rupert was without command. When once they were at sea, with the Spanish prisoners to work the pink, the buccaneers had no notions of restraint or discipline. They ate when and what they pleased, they drank whenever they were sober enough to swallow more. Twice they set the pink on fire, and but for miracles would have consumed her. The stores were few, and yet the waste was incredible. The fellows knew no moderation. They fought at times amongst themselves, they beat the Spanish prisoners, they diced106 incessantly107, and throughout all the watches shouted sea-songs that were often mere ribaldry. When one through sheer exhaustion108 slept, the others yelled their choruses in his ears, and played their pranks109 upon his senseless body, till he was waking and with them again. In fine, they made that first part of the voyage one horrid110 unbroken carouse.
A term was put on the orgie by the failure of supplies. The pink reeked111 with the lees of stale drink, but there was no whole cask left unbroached. Of food there was scarcely a carcass remaining, and of water but two tepid112 leaking casks. But these indomitable men did not repine. They had had their frolic, and all that remained was to make the nip-gut time as short as might be. They crowded more canvas on the pink till the Spaniards shivered with fright, and set up preventer backstays to make the spars carry it. The vessel rushed through the seas with a roar of sound, and the savage men within her were rendered doubly savage by their hunger. But the situation fell handily with the Prince's plans. There was no question about succeeding now: starvation was the only alternative; and these desperate fellows had no appetite for more of that.
In these circumstances, then, the pink and her people came to the western horn of that bay where the Spaniards plied7 their pearl fishery, and running inshore with a light wind, dropped the stream anchor in five-fathom water. The boat was launched over-side, and in two journeys set thirty of the buccaneers upon the hot white beach, and with them Prince Rupert and Master Laughan. Then the boat rowed back again, was hoisted113 in-board, and the pink tripped her stream anchor, and once more got to sea.
Forest sprawled114 down to the rim115 of the beach, and the land party were quickly under its cover. Then one Watkin, a man of iron and a mighty shooter, took the lead, he being by consent the best woodsman amongst the buccaneers; Prince Rupert and his secretary followed; and the rest trailed on behind in Indian file.
Word had been given, and they were careful to drop no sound—treading with niceness, and never speaking even in a whisper—since the success of their endeavour depended all upon their presence being unknown till the time came. And so the whole train of them wound through the tree aisles116 of the forests like some monstrous117 bristling118 serpent, whereof every joint119 was a different hue120 and shape.
Their march was not a long one, though exhausting by reason of the heat, and the quags they had to traverse, and thickets121 of barbed thorn which lay in the path and warred most unkindly with the fripperies of their clothes. Still, when they came to the crown of the bay where the fishery was carried on, they were none of them sorry (as even the hardened Watkin owned) to lie for a while in the rim of the undergrowth, and there await fitting season for the attack.
The bay before them was busy with life. Lying each at her anchor were two-and-thirty brigantines, from whose sides the blackamoor divers122 were constantly beat down into the water, to be drawn up again half-burst a quarter of an hour later with a netful of the rare oysters123 slung124 around their gleaming bodies. In the middle of the flock of brigantines were the two great armed carracks, bristling with men at practice on their weapons; but of the two fifty-oared galleys there was no sign, for (as was learned afterwards) they had been sent away, and their soldier crews retained to strengthen the fighting forces of the carracks.
There were two thousand men in these vessels in the bay, all trained to arms, and with every advantage of position; and surely nothing was heard more preposterous125 than this idea of attacking them with such a trifling126 handful. But no trace of anything else but pleasure showed on the faces of the buccaneers; the Prince was smiling, as, indeed, was always his habit before an onfall; and Master Laughan, though inwardly a prey127 to the most horrid fears, strove bravely to keep a good colour, and to seem pleased like the rest.
Presently, too, the tedium128 of the waiting was relieved. From round the farther horn of the bay the pink came sailing in under a cloud of canvas, and began discharging her cannon129 at the outermost130 of the brigantines. Instantly the whole scene bubbled with disorder131. Drums beat to quarters, and trumpets132 rang out defiances. The guardship vaingloriously made a discharge of her great pieces on both broadsides (though the pink was far out of any range), and then sent her top-slaves aloft to set canvas. From their lair134 those on shore could hear the clacking of her capstan as she heaved in cable to get her anchor. And then, after some men had run out on her towering bowsprit to loose the sprit-sail, they canted her head with that, and sent her clumsily surging off to seaward, pluming135 her as she ran, and never ceasing the useless cannonade.
But the handful of buccaneers in the pink, recking little of the noise and bustle136, sailed gallantly137 in, and ran aboard the outermost of the brigantines. This was going beyond their orders, for Prince Rupert had commanded that they were only to show themselves in the offing so as to draw pursuit, and then sail out again. But it was easy to see what was compelling them. They drove the crew over-side, and then threw of food and water all the brigantine contained on to their own decks, and, casting off their grapples, sailed away again. They were half mad with starvation and thirst, and they risked capture and the wrecking138 of the enterprise to satisfy their intolerable cravings.
By this time the great war-carrack had drawn near, and her shot was falling merrily about the fabric139 of the pink, though the aim for the most part was ill enough. But once the pink was in charge of her canvas again, the handful of buccaneers left the Spanish prisoners to attend to her sailing, and after a drink and a bite apiece, took up their hand guns, and with deliberate aim brought down a man on the carrack for every shot, so continuing till they drew out of range.
The carrack was a dull sailer, much time having passed since her last careen, and her bottom being in consequence a very garden of trailing weeds and barnacles. The pink, thanks to recent attention, had, in sea phrase, the heels of her. But the carrack did not desist from the chase, lumbering140 along in the wake of the smaller vessel, blazing off her futile141 artillery142, wallowing with helpless wrath143. And so the pair of them passed out of sight round the western horn of the bay. The sun was just upon its setting, and they sailed as coal-black ships with coal-black spars and cordage, through a sea and an air of blood—fit emblems144, as it seemed to Master Laughan, of the desperate work which was shortly to befall.
Night came suddenly, like the shutting down of a box, there being no such thing as twilight145 known in these latitudes; and amongst the forest trees of the shore there arose a thin blue film of mist, which thickened as the night grew, and spread out over the bay, and swallowed the shipping146 away from sight. But the ambush147 lay still in its lair, for no attack was to be made till midnight passed, and those on the shipping were locked in their deepest slumber148.
Prince Rupert and the buccaneers were in high feather. Their scheme had succeeded with exactness. The pink had drawn away the war-carrack, and there remained only a bare fifteen hundred Spaniards to oppose to their lusty score and a half. To hear them, one might have supposed they were going to a wedding, where all was frolic and gaiety; and yet in all the annals of men it would be hard to find any scheme more desperate than that which lay before them. For their proposal was this: to swim out and seize the nearest brigantine; with her to capture the store-carrack; and then to take the great ship to sea, and so to their rendezvous149 with the pink. Heard any man ever such harebrained recklessness?
There was no boat, no canoe upon the beach—nothing but a few logs, which would help to bear the weapons, and assist those that could not swim; and when the time came, the buccaneers stripped off all clothes except their breeches, for ease in the water. If they got drowned or killed, these reckless fellows said they could die as easy naked as clad; and if they took the carrack, there would be plenty more clothes in her store; while if they did not take her, why, then, they were as good as dead.
Here again, then, was a very horrid situation for the poor secretary; for to strip was to confess her sex, than which she would liefer have died, and to go into the water clad (being indeed no swimmer) was to court drowning. She did indeed make one attempt to escape the ordeal150, saying that it was beneath his Highness's dignity to render up his clothes, and suggested that the taking of a brigantine—surely an easy matter—should be left to the common buccaneers, and that they should send a row-boat to the shore when they were ready for the attack on the carrack.
But the Prince only laughed. "My scrupulous151 Stephen," said he, "we are not in England now, or even Europe. Perhaps I am Rupert Palatine, as you say, though I have almost forgot. But, for the time, I am just a tarry sailor, that for risks and plunder goes share and share alike with his crew. And so, my lad, I am e'en going to play water-rat and dodge152 the sharks. But do you stay behind, if you please, and I'll send a boat for you when the affair is over."
"Nay," said Master Laughan, "if your Highness goes, your humble153 secretary follows;" and with that stepped into the water, laid hold of one of the logs which the swimmers stood ready to tow, and shut her eyes, and inwardly commended her soul to God. And so the greatest stroke of the enterprise began.
Now the present historian has to confess that of this horrible passage through the water no detail can be given here, for she made it in a condition close upon fainting. Let alone the new sensation of being afloat in unstable154 water, there was the dreadful fear of sharks with which those seas abounded155, and this over-rid all dread24 of what the reception might be on the brigantine and beyond, and made the passage seem infinitely156 tedious. But, as it so fell out, no sharks attacked; and when the brigantine was reached, Master Laughan, burning with shame at all this pitiful display of cowardice157, was the first to board and the first to strike a blow.
The taking of that dead-fish-stinking brigantine was in itself a small matter, as there were barely forty men on board, and some number of them negro and other slaves; but it was not accomplished158 without some dispute, and many cries rose shrilly159 up into the night before all could be silenced. A gun was fired from the storeship, which showed that she at least was awake; and presently, when the buccaneers had cut the cable, and were moving the brigantine with her sweeps, a breeze sprang up and drove away the mists from the whole surface of the bay.
Here then, it seemed, was the whole enterprise laid bare to public sight, and the one little vessel in the midst of such a huge force of enemies could do nothing better than surrender and sue for quarter. But such was the indomitable courage of the Prince and these savage buccaneers who followed him, that nothing was further from their thoughts. A trumpet133 pealed160 out from the great carrack, and they answered the challenge by wild shouts and stronger labour at their oars. Those on board the carrack understood the capture then, and retorted with a broadside from their great guns, which tore the waters of the bay into foam161 and fountains.
Not a shot hit; but the Prince was as wise as he was daring, and knowing that a couple of those iron messengers might well sink the brigantine before she had accomplished her purpose, steered162 her so as to meet the carrack bow to bow—which, as they had no spring ready to warp101 round their broadside, they could not avoid. They had only two bow pieces which could be brought to bear, and to these no reply could be made, as all the powder of the buccaneers had been wetted by the swimming. But their aim was bad and their loading slow, and most of the shots hummed through the rigging overhead, or spouted163 harmlessly in the water alongside.
So the brigantine made her advance, and finally fouled164 her foremast rigging with the sprit-sail yard on the carrack's towering boltsprit, and came to a standstill little harmed.
"Boarders away!" cried the Prince, and led the storm himself, sword in teeth. The carved woodwork of the great ship's beak165 hung above, sawing up and down with the motion of the seas. He caught his fingers in this and hauled himself up, amid a storm of missiles sent down from the high forecastle roof. His secretary, fearing horribly, but impelled166 by love, was close upon his heels; and the buccaneers, climbing like cats, followed close after.
But here came a check. Under their feet were the gratings of the great ship's beak; before them was the high plain wall of her lofty forecastle; and at its summit were the outraged167 Spaniards lusting168 for their destruction. For general use ladders led from the gratings of the beak to the high roof of the forecastle above, but these had been drawn up or cast overboard before the actual moment of the attack. The wall of wood before them was as naked as the wall of a house, and quite unscalable; and the Spaniards above, with shouts of triumph, rained down shot and grenades into the huddled169 crowd of the buccaneers, till it seemed that in another minute not one soul of them would remain alive.
But presently Watkin the hunter, being a man of resource, bethought himself of one of the two forecastle gun ports, which, though shut down and fastened from within, offered a slight gap. Into this he thrust his hanger170, and prised it open another half-inch, till he could get a hold with his fingers; and then, being a fellow of vast and ponderous171 strength, wrenched172 the whole port lid from its fastenings, and fell backward with it amongst the corpses173 and the confusion.
The Prince's secretary was the first to hazard life through the gap, and got in, wounding two opponents; and then in came the rest of the buccaneers, the Prince with his accustomed courage being the last to seek the shelter.
Here, then, they had got possession of the interior of the carrack's forward castle, and had a moment to gain breathing time, and to tie up the more pressing of their hurts. Within all was dark, but without all was bright-lit with battle lanterns, and alive with the curses and movements of savage armed men. It was plain that the ship was far from taken yet, and the pearls, which they were chiefly concerned with, lay in the lazaret, under the after-cabin floor. So, as the Spaniards were raging before the doors of the forecastle and in the waist of the ship, though not daring to attack them in this gloomy stronghold, the buccaneers slewed174 round the two demi-culverins which armed its ports, loaded them with grape, and twice shot lanes through the thick of the enemy, before they gave way and fled in confusion, to spots where the missiles could not reach.
"Now!" cried the Prince, "at them again, brethren, before they can re-form!" and led the way out on to the main deck, sword in hand.
But here in an instant the boarders were penned in. The buccaneers might be brave, but the Spaniards were no cowards, and moreover they were exasperated175 by what had befallen already. Right desperately176 did the boarders fight, but their numbers were already small, and they grew fewer; and although dozens of the Spaniards were killed, there were always others behind to fill their places. The buccaneers began to yield ground. It seemed as though they would be driven overboard.
But again Prince Rupert called upon them.
"Brethren!" he shouted, "let us go and find their pearls. It is unprofitable waiting here in this debate. One fine charge, and we'll have their after-castle all to ourselves to dine in!" Whereupon he headed the rush in his own person with invincible valour, and with wild laughter those of the buccaneers who survived followed close upon his heels. A red lane was cut through the mob of Spaniards, and the doors were reached. So sudden and furious had been the charge, that none were inside the barricadoes to defend them, and once more the little company of the buccaneers found themselves in a stout9 fortress81 from which nothing but cannon could dislodge them.
The table in the great cabin was set for supper, and the scraps177 on the platters showed that it had been left half eaten. Down the centre of the table were vast jugs178 of wine and silver pannikins, and the throats of the buccaneers being parched179 with fighting, they did not omit to drink. But it was not a time for loitering, though Watkin and one or two of the others were for sitting down then and making a meal whilst they had the chance. For the moment the Spaniards outside were quiet, but it was easy to guess they were in some way plotting their destruction. So the Prince with his cheery voice urged all hands to search for the hatch to the lazaret.
"Let's win our way down there, brethren," cried he, "and get their pearls, and then we'll be off and away. Their silly ship's too hot and heavy to take with us, so we'll leave her afire to give them occupation whilst we make our clearance180."
"The lazaret hatch is here under the table," said one.
"And heavily padlocked at that," said another.
But locks cause small delay to lusty men. A shower of axe-blows beat away the staples181, the hatch was wrenched back, and the lazaret yawned blackly beneath. A couple of fellows slipped below and passed up the pearls, which were in handy leather bags; and these the buccaneers fastened conveniently about their waists, with jibes182 at the Spaniards for making their plunder so easy for the carrying.
Now it was in Prince Rupert's mind that he would fire the carrack, jump from the stern gallery into the water, swim to another brigantine and take her, and so to sea before pursuit could be made.
But of a sudden this plan was upset. One who was spying through an after-castle port, cried that the Spaniards had drawn up eight cannon across the main deck, and were then in the very act and article of shooting, with intent to scatter183 their own after-castle and the pestilential buccaneers which it contained far over the sea beyond, in mere rags and splinters. Whereupon there occurred something very akin44 to a panic, and the buccaneers incontinently leaped down through the hatch into the lazaret. Prince Rupert was left behind helpless; and for a moment busied himself; and then followed, swearing, at their heels.
"Now," cried he, "I'm for no surrender, brethren; and if you do not choose to roast like bacon, you'll cut your way out like men. There's no retreat the way we came. I've fired the ship above our heads."
What he said next was lost, for the Spaniards had begun the bombardment of their own after-castle (deeming the buccaneers to be still within its shelter) and all words were choked with the crashing of timbers overhead, and the din25 of the bellowing184 guns. Dust fell in clouds, and the frail185 gleam of a single lantern was the only illumination. But his Highness showed by signs what he wanted done, and the buccaneers were quick to carry out his wishes.
Between the lazaret and the main hold was a strong bulkhead of Spanish oak, and this had to be cut through. The axes were plied with frenzied186 strength, and the heat grew as the fire above gained hold. The tough wood resisted stubbornly, but the axe-men hewed187 with an ecstasy188 of strength, and at last a gap was splintered through. Giant fingers gripped hold of the ragged189 wood and wrenched it away, and at last a road was made.
Into the hold beyond the buccaneers forced their way, fire and smoke licking at their heels, and the vengeful guns still thundering overhead; blunderingly they picked their way over the crates190 and barrels with which the hold was filled; and at its farther end fortune smiled, for they found a sliding panel which led to the cable tier. There was a ladder from this to a hatch in the forward castle deck above, and the ladder head was so stoutly defended that two more men fell before it was forced.
But then the Prince himself headed the attack, and forced a passage through the gap; and when once he and his buccaneers had stormed the forecastle and cleared it from those it contained, and had the place to themselves, they were very little more disturbed. The aftercastle of the carrack, shattered into easily burning splinters by her own artillery, was by this time a mass of spouting191 flames; and those of the Spaniards who still offered offence did it half-heartedly, and were clearly anxious to be shut of their unneighbourly visitors on whatever terms they would take.
The brigantine still hung where she had first lodged192, with her foremast rigging fouled on the carrack's spritsail yard; and the Prince and his men, having the pearls at their belts, and knowing of nothing else that was not too hot or too heavy to carry off, struck up a jaunty193 song and made retreat by the way they had come. None molested194 them; not a gun was fired with purpose to do them harm: the Spaniards were all too busy in trying to quell195 the flames and save their ship.
But the flames had an unbreakable hold, and by the time the little brigantine had got herself clear, and was slipping away from this prickly neighbourhood as fast as sail and sweep could drive her, the Spaniards had got their boats into the water, and were thinking more of saving their lives than of saving the proud ship of which they had made their boast. And what more happened to them the present writer cannot tell, for after the fire reached her powder, and the carrack blew up, all was darkness till the dawn rose and the brigantine found herself alone on a lonely sea. But from the desperate nature of the foray it is sure that they must have lost a great number killed, for of the buccaneers themselves only thirteen live men sailed back to sea again, including the Prince, and Master Laughan, and the wounded.
Much excellent booty was wasted in the carrying off, as is always inevitable196 in these matters; and although the carrack had, before she was touched, the pearls of a whole season's fishing stored in her lazaret, only one-half of these found their way into the brigantine to offer themselves for division.
Over this division too, when they came to the rendezvous, and found the pink in waiting for them, there was like to have been another turmoil197; for it is the custom of the buccaneers, when sharing up their spoil, that each should strip naked to show that he has no wealth concealed—the which was an ordeal to which poor Master Laughan (who could have wept at the thought) strenuously198 refused to submit. Where all conformed, this very refusal seemed in itself suspicious, as even the Prince himself was forced to admit. But at last, after offering to fight all who challenged his honesty, and forthwith being told that it was impossible to fight the lot of them, Master Laughan compounded by being allowed to keep his decency199 in exchange for all his share of the plunder. Which compounding the secretary accepted with much mortification, having as large an appetite for pearls as other people, and having laboured very keenly and bravely in the getting of them.
But there was no other way of evading200 this law of the buccaneers, and so all that could be set aside from this venture for the maintenance of his gracious Majesty's court at The Hague were the five shares given to Prince Rupert as captain. Verily, a maid who undertakes to act a man's part for the sake of being always near one she loves, meets with more trials and disappointments than ever she could dream of at the outset. But Master Laughan did not repine, and all who know Prince Rupert will understand how natural it was to feel devotion for him.
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1
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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3
carouse
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| v.狂欢；痛饮；n.狂饮的宴会 | |
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esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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peddle
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| vt.(沿街)叫卖，兜售；宣传，散播 | |
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plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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debauch
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| v.使堕落，放纵 | |
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encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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14
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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diligently
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| ad.industriously;carefully | |
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taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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18
encumbrance
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| n.妨碍物，累赘 | |
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19
inborn
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| adj.天生的，生来的，先天的 | |
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trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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21
qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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timorously
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| adv.胆怯地，羞怯地 | |
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dreading
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| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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24
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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sneers
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| 讥笑的表情（言语）( sneer的名词复数 ) | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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craftily
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| 狡猾地，狡诈地 | |
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30
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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31
pawned
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| v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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33
censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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34
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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35
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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36
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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37
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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38
shredded
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| shred的过去式和过去分词 | |
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quaintly
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| adv.古怪离奇地 | |
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40
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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41
atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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42
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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43
jeopardy
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| n.危险；危难 | |
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44
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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45
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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47
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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48
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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49
bartering
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| v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 ) | |
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50
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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51
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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52
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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53
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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54
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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55
consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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56
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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57
anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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58
persuasiveness
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| 说服力 | |
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59
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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60
layman
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| n.俗人，门外汉，凡人 | |
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61
diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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62
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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63
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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64
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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65
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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66
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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67
toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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68
galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 | |
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69
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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70
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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71
deteriorated
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
exasperatingly
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73
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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74
latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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75
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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76
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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77
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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78
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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80
fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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81
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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82
mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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83
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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84
narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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85
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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86
kernel
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| n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心 | |
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87
override
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| vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于 | |
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memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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91
paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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92
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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93
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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warp
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| vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见 | |
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warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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psalm
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| n.赞美诗，圣诗 | |
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104
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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106
diced
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| v.将…切成小方块，切成丁( dice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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108
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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109
pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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110
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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111
reeked
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的过去式和过去分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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112
tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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113
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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114
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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115
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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116
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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117
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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118
bristling
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| a.竖立的 | |
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119
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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120
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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121
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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122
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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123
oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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124
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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125
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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126
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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127
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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128
tedium
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| n.单调；烦闷 | |
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129
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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130
outermost
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| adj.最外面的，远离中心的 | |
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131
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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132
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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133
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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134
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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135
pluming
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| 用羽毛装饰（plume的现在分词形式） | |
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136
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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137
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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138
wrecking
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| 破坏 | |
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139
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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140
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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141
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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142
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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143
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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144
emblems
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| n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 ) | |
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145
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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146
shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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147
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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148
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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149
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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150
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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151
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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152
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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153
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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154
unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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155
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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156
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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157
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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158
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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159
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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160
pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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162
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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163
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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164
fouled
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| v.使污秽( foul的过去式和过去分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏 | |
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165
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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166
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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167
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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168
lusting
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| 贪求（lust的现在分词形式） | |
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169
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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170
hanger
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| n.吊架，吊轴承；挂钩 | |
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171
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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172
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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173
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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174
slewed
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| adj.喝醉的v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去式 )( slew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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175
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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176
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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177
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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178
jugs
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| （有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 ) | |
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179
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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180
clearance
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| n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理 | |
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181
staples
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| n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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182
jibes
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| n.与…一致( jibe的名词复数 )；（与…）相符；相匹配v.与…一致( jibe的第三人称单数 )；（与…）相符；相匹配 | |
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183
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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184
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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185
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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186
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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187
hewed
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| v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟 | |
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188
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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189
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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190
crates
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| n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱 | |
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191
spouting
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| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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192
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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193
jaunty
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| adj．愉快的，满足的；adv.心满意足地，洋洋得意地；n.心满意足；洋洋得意 | |
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194
molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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195
quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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196
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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197
turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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198
strenuously
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| adv.奋发地，费力地 | |
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199
decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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200
evading
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| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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