Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-16
Continued from Our Last Issue

what the devil does it mean?" he
asked.
4None answered him, all being as
puzzled as he was himself.
after a little while, Esteban. who
Nnpt his eyes on the water, plucked
ut his uncle's sleeve. There they
so!" he cried, and pointed.
And there indeed, went the pira-
1uas on their way back to the ships.
But now it was observed that they
we're empty, ave for the men who
rCwed them. Their armed cargo
aad been left ashore.
Back to the ships they pulled, to
return again presently with a fresh
load of armed men, which similarly
they conveyed to Palomas. And at
last one of the Spanish officers VEN
tured an explanation!
"They r going to attack us by
land--to attempt to storm the tort"
"Of course" The Admiral smiled.
Il had guessed it. Whom the gods
would destroy they first make mad"
But by evening the AdmiraIs
eQuanimity was not quite so perfect.
By then the piraguas had made a
half dozen journeys with their loads
Of men, and they had landed also
az Don Miguel had clearly observed
through his telescope-at least a
dozen guns.
His c-ountenance no longer smiled;
1t was a little wrathful.
"Who was the fool who told me
that they number but three hundred
men in all? They have put at least
vice that number ashore already"
Amazed as he was, his amazemenI
txtNy1lA have hanp 1na.a- rod h. AAro
told the truth; that there was not a
single buccaneer or a single gun
ashore on Palomas. The deception
had been complete. Don Miguel
could not guess that the men he had
beheld in those piraguas were al
ways the same; that on the journeys
to the shore they set and stood up
right in full view; and that on the
journeys back to the ships, they lay
invisible at the bottom of the boats,
which were thus made to appear
SIMPLY.
In the last hours of fading day
light, the Spaniards did precisely
what Captain Blood so confidently
counted that they would do-pre-
cisely what they must do TO meet
the attack, preparation for which
had been SO thoroughly simulated.
They set themselves to labor like the
damned at those p~onderous guns en-
placed to command the narrow pas
age out to sea.
Thus, when night fell they stood
70 their guns.
And whilst they waited thus,
under cover of the darkness and as
the tide began to ebb, Captain
Blood's feet weighed anchor quietly;
ord @ naaA hof1ra rr3EI -1-n
canvas spread than that which their
SPIRITS could carry, so as to give
them steering Way-and even these
having been painted black-the four
vessels, without a light showing,
cropped their way by soundings to the
channel which led to that narrow
passage out to sea.
The Elizabeth and the Infanta,
leading side by side, were almost
abreast of the fort before their
sshad9xy bulks and the soft gurgIe
OF water at their prows were detect
ed by the Spaniards, whose attention
until that moment had been all on
the other side. The Elizabeth emp
tied her larboard guns into the fort
Us she was swept past on the swift
Abb.
Some slight damage was sustained
by Blood's fleet. But by the time
The Spaniards had resolved their
into some order of danger
nys offense, the fleet was through
he narrows and standing out to sea.
Thus was Don Miguel de Espino-
"a left to chew the bitter cud of a
lost opportunity.
OF the coas OF Oruba, at the
of the Gulf of Venezuela.
Captain Blood's feet came upon the
beiated Santo Nino, speeding under
fun sail TO REINFORCE Don Miguel
at. Maracaybo.
AT first the Spaniard had con-
ceived that She was meeting the vic
torious feet of Don Miguel, return
ing from the destruction Of the
pirates. When at comparatively
close quarters the pennon of st.
George scared to the Arabella's
masthead to disillusion her, the
Santo Nino chose the better part OF
valor, and struck her flag.
Captain Blood ordered her crew to
to the boats, and land them
at Oruba or wherever else
they pleased.
Diminishing the Captain, who went