The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

872 given by the people, the entire crowd of luckless prisoners was ruthlessly forced into the great stone church and the doors were closed upon them. An hour later the prisoners were brought from the vessels of the squad- ron and were placed with their unfor- tunate friends in the church, and the town was given over to sack and pil- lage.” What I had seen at Porto Bello was but child’s play when compared with what I now saw at Maracaibo. The place had been ravaged two years be- fore by the Frenchman L/’Ollonois and it was an old saying among the Breth- ren of the Coast that where L’Ollonois had been it was ill gleaning. I\verything that was of any value at all was carried off. Plate was stolen, silver and. gold as well as priceless paintings were carried off from the cathedral to which they had been given by pious Spaniards at home. | Clergy and laity alike were stripped of every peso that they owned and the words of the Psalmist, “ mudus intravt, nudus exeo,” seemed indeed come true for the doomed town. There was no rate of ransom abso- lutely fixed for the prisoners who had fallen into our hands. . One captain, in the heat of the sack, would demand a thousand pesos for the safety of an individual, and after taking the money would promptly turn the man loose to be picked up by the next buccaneer to whom he looked promising. When no more money was to be ex- torted by threats they also were con- fined in the church with the others, where they were placed under a heavy guard, while detachments of the ships’ crews pillaged systematically for food, wine, and clothing. Our men were to be seen on every hand, staggering to and fro, up and down the streets, loaded with the most motley burdens - of loot—women’s finery, church regalia, ~ porcelain masterpieces and choice paintings, cases of wine—while barrels of French brandy were rolled into the THE ARGOSY. open plaza, where they were broached for the lawless crews. Beauty, too, paid toll. None were too high for insult or too low for ex- tortion. Sickened of it all I turned to Oakes. “Jack! You said that these men - were such as Drake—” ‘“ Aye, I did, God forgive me for the words or for mentioning him in the same breath with this godless set. Look yonder, Stephen! There goes your man! ’Tis Hetherington” THe was walking slowly across the plaza, and [ think that he had no idea that on such a night when the whole town was open to sack that any person would be interested in what he did or where he went. We followed him up the street that led to the church and in the half light I distinctly saw him pass some money to the sentry who was standing in the shadow of the arched doorway. ‘The heavy door opened and I heard him call: ** Sefiora de Montijo!” I instantly stepped behind the heavy stone buttress and drew Oakes after me, for I had no desire to have Heth- erington see us till I was assured of his purpose. From our position near the door we could hear everything that was said. She was very white and wan when she appeared at the entrance, and when she saw Hetherington she stopped dead and half turned toward the church as if she would reenter it. My heart leaped at the mere siglit of her in all her golden beauty and my throat tightened till I could scarcely swallow. Suddenly in the passing of a heart-beat [ knew what her pres- ence meant to me and the blood surged up to my temples in a flood of pas- sion, Then came the thought, “ What a fool you are, Stephen Upholme! What will she, a beautiful Spanish woman (who are among the proudest on earth) have to do with you—you, a common, buccaneering rascal, as she looks at it, whose hands are stained (e(0) .OO AMG <S (E@)