The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-01-08


placed, with tumbled heaps of priests
and nuns prone at their feet.
Then the pirates,' runs an old ac
count written by one of the pirates
himself, mounted in great number,
and with not less valor, having fire.
balls in their hands and earthern pots
full of powder; all which things, be-
ing now at the top of the walls, they
kindled and cast in among the Span"
iards.
This effort of the pirates was very
great, insomuch that the Spaniards
could no longer resist nor defend the
castle, which was now entered. Here
upon they all threw down their arms
and craved quarter for their lives;
only the governor of the city would
crave no mercy, but killed many o.
the pirates with his own hands. aad
not a few of his own soldiers. be-
cause they did not stand to their
arms. And, though the pirates ASH
ed him if he would have quarter,
yet he constantly answered, BY no
means. | had rather die as valiant
soldier than be hanged as coward.
They endeavored as much as they
could to take him prisoner, but he
defended himself so obstinately that
they were forced to kill him, not
withstanding all the cries and tears
of his own wife and daughter, who
begged him on their knees to demand
quarter and save his life
Don C.. Seitz has described his
death in The Buccaneers.
With blade at throat and pistol at
heart
The proud old governor stands,
Rather to die than yield his sword
To such scoundrelly outlaw hands.
Wife at right and daughter at left,
Their pleadings are in vain
Mercy's not the buccaneers creed;
He tumbles with the slain.
And thus fell Porto Bello. The pi-
rates Occupied the town for several
weeks, stripped it of every scrap Of
loot and made the citizens pay A
ransom of 100000 pieces of eight
before they would leave. When the
governor of Panama sent out force
of Spanish soldiers to drive Morgan
and his mer away the pirates, instead
of fleeing to their ships, as every
one supposed they would, went out
to meet the soldiers, defeated them
and drove them back to Panama. Nor
gan sent word to the governor of Pan
anna that he would pay his town a
visit within year.
AS a matter of fact, it was three
years before he made good his boast.
The capture of Panama was a far
more remarkable achievement than
that of Porto Bello. For Morgan and
his men marched nine days through
tropical jungles before they reached
the city. Most of the time they had
70 food, for the Spaniards, who knew
they we're coming, drove every COW
cut of the country and burned or
carried away every sack of grain. So
reduced were Morgan's men that the;
ate strips of rawhide bags, soften
ing the leather by moistening it and
pounding it between stones, then
broiling it like bacon.
The Spaniards had plentiful warn
ing of their coming, and made elabo-
rate preparation for defense outside
the city of Panama; Indians aided
them and drove wild bulls against the
English buccaneers, thinking to break
their ranks. Morgan's men laughed
and killed the bulls, and were glad to
have their meat for food. John Es-
uuemeling, an old pirate who was
with Morgan and who wrote book
to which We are indebted for most
of what we know of this prince of
buccaneers, tells of that feat.
The pirates hacked out great
chunks of meat and threw them into
the camp fire they had kindled; then,
when the meat was charred outside
and still raw within, they fished it
out and devoured it.
Such was their hunger writes
Fsquemeling, "as they more resem-
bled cannibals than Europeans; the
blood many times running down from
their boards to their waists
Thus nourished and encouraged
they swept into Panama, ravenlng
pack, and scattered far such of its de-
tenders as they did not slay. They
stayed there month, and burned the
city and carried away everything
movable, and sent out ships to ravage
the nearby towns on the Pacific
coast.
IL