ship, with which in company they went to look for the Spanish ships. At dawn on 1 May 1669 they found them within the entrance of the lake, in a position clear of the guns of the fort, and steered straight for them, as though to engage. The fireship, disguised as a ship of war, closed the admiral's ship—a ship of 40 guns—grappled and set her in a flame. She presently sank. The second, of 30 guns, in dismay ran herself on shore and was burnt by her own men. The third was captured. As no quarter was asked or given, the slaughter must have been very great, though several from the flagship, including Don Alonso, succeeded in reaching the shore. From a few who were made prisoners Morgan learned that the sunken ship had forty thousand-pieces of eight on board, of which he managed to recover fifteen thousand, besides a quantity of melted silver. Then, having refitted the prize and taken command of her himself, he reopened negotiations with Don Alonso, and was actually paid twenty thousand pieces of eight and five hundred head of cattle as a ransom for Maracaybo, but a pass for his fleet was refused. By an ingenious stratagem, however, Morgan led the Spaniards to believe that he was landing his men for an attack on the fort on the land side. They therefore moved their guns to that side, leaving the sea face almost unarmed. So in the night, with the ebb tide, he let his ships drop gently down till they were abreast the castle, when they quickly made good their escape.
On his return to Jamaica, Morgan was again reproved by Modyford for having exceeded his commission. But the Spaniards, on their side, were waging war according to their ability, capturing English ships, and ravaging the north coast of Jamaica. Provoked by such aggressions and by the copy of a commission from the queen regent of Spain, dated 20 April 1669, commanding her governors in the Indies to make open war against the English, the council of Jamaica ordered, and Modyford granted, a commission to Morgan, as 'commander-in-chief of all the ships of war' of Jamaica, to draw these into one fleet, and to put to sea for the security of the coast of the island; he was to seize and destroy all the enemy's vessels that came within his reach; to destroy stores and magazines laid up for the war; to land in the enemy's country as many of his men as he should judge needful, and with them to march to such places as these stores were collected in . The commission concluded with an order that 'as there is no other pay for the encouragement of the fleet, they shall have all the goods and merchandizes that shall be gotten in this expedition, to be divided amongst them, according to their rules' (ib. 29 July, 2 July 1670, Nos. 209, 211, 212; Present State of Jamaica, pp. 57-69).
Morgan sailed from Port Royal on 14 Aug. 1670, having appointed the Isle de la Vache as a rendezvous, from which, during the next three months, detached squadrons ravaged the coast of Cuba and the mainland of America, bringing in, more especially, provisions and intelligence. On 2 Dec. it was unanimously agreed, in a general meeting of the captains, thirty-seven in number, 'that it stands most for the good of Jamaica and safety of us all to take Panama, the president thereof having granted several commissions against the English.' Six days later they put to sea; on the 15th captured once again the island of Santa Catalina, whence a detachment of 470 men, commanded by a Colonel Bradley, was sent in advance to take the castle of Chagre. This was done in a few hours, in an exceedingly dashing manner; and Morgan bringing over the rest of his force, and securing his conquest, started up the river on 9 Jan. 1670-1, with fourteen hundred men, in seven ships and thirty-six boats. The next day the navigation of the river became impossible; so, leaving two hundred men in charge of the boats, the little army proceeded on foot. As the route was difficult, they carried no provisions, trusting to what they could plunder on the way. The Spaniards had carefully removed everything; but after many skirmishes and excessive sufferings, on the ninth day they crossed the summit of the ridge, saw the South Sea, and found an abundance of cattle. On the morning of the tenth day they advanced towards Panama. The Spaniards met them in the plain, with a well-appointed force of infantry and cavalry, to the number of about three thousand, some guns, and a vast herd of wild bulls, intended to break the English ranks and make the work of the cavalry easy. But many of the bulls were shot, and the rest, in a panic, turned back and trampled down the Spaniards, who, after a fight of some two hours' duration, threw down their arms and fled, leaving about six hundred dead on the field. The buccaneers had also lost heavily; but they advanced at once on the city, and by three o'clock in the afternoon were in quiet possession of it. It was, however, on fire, and was almost entirely burnt, whether, as Morgan asserted, by the Spaniards themselves; or, according to Exquemeling, by Morgan's orders; or, as is most probable, by some drunken English stragglers.
As a feat of irregular warfare, the enterprise
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