The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 159: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SAILING WITH nate people rose to the stars. [ watched it for an hour, during which time I saw the bonds of discipline ab- solutely loosed, and saw what [ had never thought to see in a war—a city wholly given over to sack and pillage and placed absolutely at the mercy of a brutal and licentious soldiery. Oakes kept by me, and once at least he saved me from certain death. <A vicious-faced ruffian with two follow- ers came from a house, urging along by thrusts from their cutlases an old man and a boy. To their demands for ransom the old man protested that he had already been robbed twice that night, and that he had no more money nor goods with which to purchase his release. Receiving no further reply to his de- mands for money, probably owing to the fact that he himself spoke very bad Spanish, the ruffian struck the old man over the head with the long barrel of his heavy pistol, kicked the boy across the street, and passed on, swearing. [I was about to spring forward to aid the old man when Oakes seized me. “No, no, lad: keep quiet. Do you not see that we can do nothing? To save our own self-respect as English- men let’s go back aboard ship. See, yonder stands the captain! Go and tell him. that you are weak from your wound and wish to go aboard ship to- night.” Captain Hetherington was standing in the plaza, talking to a group of the officers. Seeing me approach, they stopped talking and with one accord stared at me as I made my request. “To go aboard ship!” roared Cap- tain Bolton. ‘‘ Gad, man, the raid has only just began! Have you found the wealth of Manoa and secured it that you wish to stay your hand now? Why do you wish to leave so early in the evening? Ask him why he wishes to go, Hetherington? ”’ Captain Hetherington smiled sourly as he asked the question. ‘‘ Well, Up- holme, tell Captain Bolton why you make such a peculiar request.” MORGAN. 861 “ Because, sir, I came to fight—and I have fought and I wish to rest.” “The work is not over till every ransom is paid, till we have collected payment from church and state—from man, woman, and child. That is your business. If you fail in your work you get no pay.” “TI leave my pay to Captain Mor- gan,’ I said coolly. “I came to fight in my own private quarrel and to re- pay myself for losses at the hands of the Spaniards. I have fought with armed men, and [ cannot rob old men nor frighten old housewives till they give up their silver spoons.” His hand flew to his pistols that laid in his sash. “No, sir,” I. went on. “I do not seek a quarrel, nor do I wish to force one on you. I simply tell you that there are things that [ will not do, and that you will have to find another in- strument if you wish such work to be done. I leave my share to be set by Captain Morgan. He saw me in the inner fort, and he knows whether or not I have done my share of the fight- ing. Come, Jack!’ And Oakes and I strolled off to the beach. It was a week till the town was com- pletely gutted, and when it was once done it did not need a second visit. It is no exaggeration to say that there was not ten shillings’ worth of salable material in the town when we finally got the crews aboard the ships. That last day in the plaza was a terrible one. I heard of it from Oakes, who had gone ashore. They were right glad to have some sober hands who were willing to remain aboard ship, so I heard no more of what Hetherington termed my insubordina- tion. For two days two hundred men, . women, and children had been cooped up in the stone church with the doors locked on them without food or water, for the buccaneers forgot such trifles in their search for plunder till their ransom of ten thousand pieces of eight (pesos duros) had been paid, and Eomichbooks (EC)