“It seems to me the Spaniards were awful cowards,” said Fred, as his uncle paused. “They were always licked by the buccaneers, although there were more of them.”
“That’s a great mistake,” Mr. Bickford assured him. “In nearly every case the Spaniards showed marvelous bravery and courage in resisting the buccaneers and in several instances their courage was absolutely heroic. Very often they refused to surrender until every man fell, and time and time again their commanders committed suicide when they found that resistance was hopeless. But they were fearfully handicapped. The buccaneers knew beforehand just what to expect and the strength of the garrisons, they usually attacked at night and they invariably surprised the Dons. The Spaniards had no idea how many men were attacking, and they were packed together in forts, stockades or towns, while the buccaneers could scatter, could seek the shelter of trees or buildings and were constantly on the move. Finally, the buccaneers were expert marksmen, trained woodsmen and were absolutely reckless of life and limb while, in addition, the Spaniards knew that the more valiantly they resisted the less quarter they would receive in the end. Perhaps [[42]]there are no better examples of the Spaniards’ bravery than that shown by the garrisons of Porto Bello and of San Lorenzo, which were taken by Sir Henry Morgan, the most famous of the buccaneers.”
“Oh, do tell us about him!” cried the two boys in unison.
“Very well,” laughed Mr. Bickford. “But I’m afraid your ideals will be rudely shattered when you learn the truth of Morgan, and before I tell you of his most famous exploits let me ask you a question. Have you any idea how long Morgan was a buccaneer or how long his career of fame lasted?”
“Why, no,” replied Jack. “I never thought about it, but I suppose it was years and years.”
“I thought he was a buccaneer all his life,” declared Fred.
Mr. Bickford smiled. “Nearly all the famous buccaneers led short lives and merry ones,” he said. “But of them all I think the famous Morgan’s career was the shortest. From the time he first came into notice as a corsair until he dropped out of sight was barely five years, and all his most famous or rather infamous exploits took place within a space of three years.” [[43]]
“Jiminy, he must have been a fast worker!” exclaimed Jack.
“Yes, he was what you might call a ‘hustler,’ ” laughed his father. “And it undoubtedly was the speed with which he carried out his nefarious projects that made him successful to a large extent. But like many another famous man, Morgan’s deeds have been greatly exaggerated, and his real character was very different from that we are accustomed to attribute to him, for romance, imagination and fiction have, through the passing years, surrounded him with a halo of false gallantry, bravery and decency. In reality Morgan was an ignorant, unprincipled, ruthless, despicable character, utterly selfish and heartless, dishonorable and with scarcely a redeeming trait, aside from personal courage. But like many of the buccaneers he displayed most remarkable and contradictory traits at times. It is said that whenever a priest or minister fell into his clutches he compelled the clergyman to hold divine services on the ship, and that on more than one occasion, he shot down his own men for not attending service or for disrespectful behavior during a religious ceremony. What became of the unfortunate clerics after Morgan was done with them is [[44]]not recorded, but the chances are that he compelled them to walk the plank or put an end to their careers in some equally summary manner, for that was ‘Harry Morgan’s way,’ as he was fond of saying.”
“But tell me, Dad,” asked Jack, “did the buccaneers always kill or torture their prisoners?”