"'Now,  remember,'  the  lieutenant  said,  'that  no
woman  is  to  be  hurt.  All  the  men  who  resist  are  to
be  shot  or  cut  down ;  but  you  are  to  take  prisoners  all
who  throw  down  their  arms.  Some  of  them  may  be
able  to  prove  themselves  less  guilty  than  the  rest.  At
anyrate,  there  is  no  fear  of  the  Spanish  authorities
being  too  merciful.  These  pirates  have  been  the  scourge
of  these  seas  for  the  last  six  years.'

"  Well,  lad,  there  ain't  much  more  to  tell  you.  We
took  them  completely  by  surprise,  and  the  men  in  the
village  were  all  knocked  down  and  bound,  without  firing
a  shot.  The  men  in  the  batteries  tried  to  slew  their
guns  round,  but  we  didn't  give  'em  time.  They  fought
desperately,  for  they  knew  what  their  doom  was,  and
there  weren't  any  prisoners  taken  there.     As  soon  as


106  THE   CAPTAIN'S   WIFE.
the  village  was  taken  I  went  straight  with  Mr.  Es-
combe  to  the  captain's  house.  His  wife  was  standing
at  the  door,  and  she  gave  a  little  cry  as  she  saw  the
British  uniforms,  and  ran  a  step  or  two  to  meet  us,
then  she  stopped,  and  her  arms  dropped  by  her  side.
