Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-02-03


directed to kill every man whom the!
saw at large in the city, shooting o
| cutting Gown every man abroad with
| out hesitation, for Alvarado right.
! OWNED that all. the inhabitants woull
/ be penned up in some prison or othe
| and that none would be on the street:
, except the buccaneers. There were
to outnumber his force, but many o.
them were drunk, and all of them, the
Spaniard counted. would be unpre
pared. The advantage of the surprise
would be with his own men. If he
could hold them in play for twenty
minutes the viceroy, with another de
tachment, would arrive, and thereafter
the end would be certain. They could
take prisoners then and reserve them
for some meet punishment for their
crimes.
Those necessary preparations were
made with the greatest speed, the men
were told off in their respective com
panies, and then keeping close under
the shadow of the cliff for fear of a
possible watcher. they started for
ward.
Since 10 old Ben HornigoId had been
way waiting their arrival. He had
thought as the slow minutes dragged
by that Alvarado had failed, and he
began to contrive some way by which
he could account for his escape to
Morgan in the morning, when the cap
tain would ask to have him produced,
but the arrival of the Spaniards re-
lieved his growing anxiety.
Donna Mercedes?' asked Alvarado
of the old boatswain as he entered the
gate.
"Safe when / left her in the guard
room with Morgan and armed. II you
would see her alive
''This way." cried Alvarado, dashing
madly along the street toward the fort
Every man had his weapons in hand
and the little party had scarcely gone
ten steps before they met a buccaneer.
He had been asleep when he should
have watched and had just been awak
ened by The sound of their approach
He opened his mouth to cry out but
Alvarado thrust his sword through him
before he could utter sound. The
moonlight made the street as light as
day, and before they had gone twenty
steps farther, turning the corner. they
came upon a little party of the pirates.
An immediate alarm was given by
them The Spaniards brushed them
aside by the impetnosity Of their onset,
but on this occasion pistols were
brought in play. Screams and cries fol
lowed the shots, and calls to arms rang
through the town
But by this time the other companies
were in the city and they were max
ing terrible havoc as they ran to their
appointed stations. The buccaneers
came pouring from the houses, most of
them arms in hand. But the three at
tacks simultaneously delivered bewil-
dered them. The streets in all direc-
tons seemed full of foes The advan-
tage Of the surprise was with the Span
ish. The pirates. were without leader
ship for the moment and ran aimlessly
to and fro, not knowing where to rally,
yet little bands did gather together in
stinctively and these began to make
some Roadway against the Spanish SOL
dfery L II the towards fought des-
perately, for around every neck was
already the feel of a halter.
AlvaradO and De Tobar soon found
themselves detached from their com
pany. Indeed, as the time progressed
and tie buccaneers began to perceive
the situation they put up more and
more stubborn and successful opposi-
ton. They rallied in larger parties and
offered a stout resistance to the Span
ish charges. Disregarding their isola-
ton, the two young officers ran to the
fort. Fortunately the way in that di-
rection was not barred. The solitary
sentry at the gateway attempted to
check them, but they cut him down in
an instant. AS they mounted the stair
they heard above the shrieks and cries
and shots of the tumult that came
blowing in the easement with the night
wind the sound of a woman's screams.
'Mercedesp'- cried De Tobar. 1T is
sher' .,i<u~.s
They bounded up the stairs, over
throwing one or two startled men who
would have intercepted them, and dart
Alvarado thrust his sword through him