Evening journal., 1923-01-15

(COntlnued From Our Last issue
"Ah ca Nom de Dieu! Was
nv fault that ..."
Was Il any one elss's fault tina
you ran your ship La Foudr
sEround on the shoal in the middl
a the lake? You would not h
piloted. The result was that W
lost three precious days in gettin
trnoss to bring of your men an
your gear. After that. and becaus
OF Il. we had TO follow the Governo
t. his Internal island fortress, an,
fortnight and hest part OF a hun
dred lives were lost in reducing II
That's how we come to have delay
q until this Spanish fleet is fetch
ed round from La Guayra by
guarda-costa."
fHe spoke with n restraint which
trust you will agree was admira biz
when l tell you that the Spanish
feet was commanded by his implac
able enemy. Don Miguel de Espino
sa y Valdez. the Admiral OF Spain
There's no good can come Of
taking OF what's past and done,
cried Cahusac. The question is
what are we TO do now?"
Sure. now. there's no question al
ALL" said Captain Blood.
Indeed, but there is" CahusaC
issisted. Don Miguel the Spanish
Admiral. have offer us safe passage
TO sea IL we will depart at once. dc
70 damage to the town, release our
prisoners. an surrender all that we
took at Gibraltar"
Captain Blood smiled quietly.
IT you and your own French fol-
lowers wish 20 avail yourselves OF
the Spaniard's terms. we shall not
hinder you"
Precisely what answer have YOU
make TO the Admiral7"
A smile irradiated the face and
eyes OF Captain Blood.
II have answered him that unless
within four-and-twenty hours we
have his parole 20 stand out 10 sea.
.easlng TO dispute our passage or
finder our departure, and a ransom
OF fifty thousand pieces OF eight for
Maracaybo. we shall reduce this
beautiful city to ashes. and there
after go out and destroy his fleet. D"
The impudence OF II left Cahusac
speechless.
:, They must strike ere Don VI cUel
received the reinforcement OF that
fifth gslleon. the Santo Nino. which
was coming to join him from Ia
Guayrs.
Their principal operations we're on
the larger OF the two sloops captured
at Gibraltar; 70 which vessel was
assigned the leading part in Captain
Blood's scheme. They began by
tearing down all bulkheads, until
they had reduced her 20 the merest
shell, and in her sides they broke
-!pen so many ports that her gun
vale was converted into the SEM
blance OF a grating. Next they in
creased by half-dozen the scuttles
in her deck, whilst into her hull they
packed all the tar and pitch and
birthstone that they could find in the
town. to which they added six bar
rels OF Eunpowdsr. placed on end
uke guns at the open ports on her
larboard side.
On the evening OF the fourth day
all were got abroad. and the city OF
,faracaybo was al last abandoned.
But they did not weigh anchor until
some two hours after midnight.
Then they driftsd silently down to-
ward the bar
The order OF their going was as
follows: Ahead went their impro-
ised fre-ship in charge OF Wolver-
stone, with L crew OF six volunteers,
each Of whom was TO have hun
t'red pieces OF eight over ana above
~ -har - L.
ward. Next came the Arabella. She
vas followed al distance by the
Elizabeth. commanded by Hag-
thorpe. with whom was the now
shipless Cahusac and the bulk OF
h-i French followers. Thc rear was
brought up by the second sloop and
some eight canoes. aboard OF which /
the prisoners and slaves had been
shipped and most OF the captured .
merehandise.
The Spaniards did not sight .
Blood's fleet In that dim light until R
como time after Blood's feet had
sighted them.
Straight for the Admirars great
ship. the Encarnacion. did wolver-
stone head the sloop; then. lashing
match that hung ready lighted be-
SIDE him a great torch Of thickly
plated straw that had been stepped
in bitumen. As he swung It round
81 burst into flame. just as the slight
vessel went crashing and humping
and scraping against the side OF the
flagship. His six men stood AT their
pC-ts on the larboard side, stark
naked. each armed with a grapnel.
four OF them on the gunwale. two OF
thsm a1oft. At the moment OF i'm
pact these grapnels were slung 10
bind the Spaniard TO them.
Sbroad the rudely awakened gal
leon all was confused hurrying.
scurrying, trumpeting. and shout
ing,
-Nplverstone had seen his six fell \,
lows drop overheard after the grap-
nels were fixed. and then had sped. ,
10 the starboard cunwaie. I
Thence. he flung his flaming torch
down the nearest gaping scuttle into s
thF hold, and thereupon dived over Z
board in his turn. to be picked up ;
presently by the longboat from the
A.abella. But before that happened
the sloop was a thing of fire. from
which explosions were hurting blaz-
ing combustibles aboard the Encar-
na'hon.
Continued in Our Next Issuc.)
And whilst the most formidable
vessel OF the Spanish fleet was thus
being put out OF action at the out
set. Blood had sailed in 10 open fire
unpn the Salvador. Leaving her