The boys' book of buccaneers

by A. Hyatt Verrill

“Early the next day—the tenth after leaving San Lorenzo—Morgan marshaled his men upon the plain and with drums beating and trumpets blaring, marched like a miniature army towards the doomed city. It was soon evident that to follow the high road would cost the buccaneers dearly, and at his guides’ suggestion Morgan made a detour, in order to approach the city through the woods. This was totally unexpected by the Spaniards and in order to check the buccaneers’ advance the troops were compelled to leave their forts and guns and meet the enemy in the open. The Spanish numbered four regiments of foot soldiers, totaling twenty-four hundred; two squadrons of cavalry, amounting to four hundred men, and a large number of slaves who were driving a herd of two thousand wild bulls which they expected [[105]]would charge the buccaneers and cause consternation among them.

“Reaching a low hill, the English looked with amazement at the overwhelming forces sent to meet them and for the first time their confidence began to waver. As Esquemeling puts it, ‘Yea, few there were but wished themselves at home or at least free from the obligation of that engagement wherein they perceived their lives must be narrowly concerned.’ But they had come too far, had undergone too many hardships, and had the richest city of the New World too near, to falter or turn back and, knowing no quarter would be given them, they swore a solemn oath to fight until death.

“Dividing his men into three troops, Morgan then ordered the best marksmen, to the number of two hundred, to scatter and advance and pick off the Spaniards before the main body of buccaneers charged. The Dons at once attempted a charge of cavalry, but the rains had softened the ground and had transformed it to a quagmire; they could not maneuver properly and the accurate fire from the buccaneer sharpshooters brought them down by scores. Notwithstanding this, the Spaniards fought courageously and the [[106]]infantry tried again and again to force their way through the buccaneers in order to support the cavalry. Then the bulls were urged forward; with cracking whips and shouts from the slaves they were stampeded towards the buccaneers, and like an avalanche they came plunging on, a sea of wildly tossing horns, thundering hoofs and foaming nostrils. But the buccaneers were the last men in the world to be demoralized by cattle. They had made hunting savage wild bulls their profession and with shouts, trumpets and waving hats they turned the stampede to one side while the few bulls that kept on and dashed among the British were shot down or hamstrung ere they did the least damage.

“The battle had now raged for two hours; practically all the Spanish cavalry were killed or unhorsed, and the infantry, discouraged and demoralized, fired one last volley and then, throwing down their muskets, fled to the city. Many were not able to gain the town and tried to conceal themselves in the woods, but these the buccaneers hunted down and butchered wherever found.

“Upon the field the Dons had left six hundred slain, in addition to several hundred wounded, and the buccaneers had lost, between killed and [[107]]wounded, nearly half as many. Weary with their long tramp overland and the battle, the English were in no condition to follow up their victory, but Morgan forced them on and after a short rest they resumed their march towards the city. The approach, however, was directly under the fire of the cannon in the forts and with the great guns roaring constantly and the buccaneers falling at every step the English kept doggedly on until, after three hours of fighting, they were in possession of the city.

“Madly they rushed hither and thither, ruthlessly cutting down and pistoling all they met, men, women and children, broaching rum casks, looting shops and houses, destroying for mere lust and wantonness until, after a great deal of difficulty, Morgan got his men under control and, assembling them in the market place, gave strict orders that none should touch or drink any liquor owing to the fact, so he said, that he had won a confession by torture from prisoners that all the wine had been poisoned. In reality, he undoubtedly foresaw that, should his men become drunk, they would fall easy victims to the Spaniards and that the Dons thus might retake the city.

“Morgan, however, was in a frenzy, an overpowering [[108]]passion, a demoniacal rage, for the people, having been warned of his coming, had carried off the bulk of the riches in the city. The most precious altar pieces, the wonderful gold altar of San José church, the chests of coins, the bullion and plate, vast fortunes in gems and the most valuable merchandise had all been loaded hurriedly onto ships which had sailed away, no one knew whither, long before the buccaneers arrived. There were to be sure, boats within the harbor, but it was low tide—the tide in the Pacific rises and falls for nearly twenty feet—the boats were high and dry, and Morgan could not even send a craft in chase of the fleeing treasure ships.

“Beside himself with rage, Morgan secretly ordered the city fired and in a moment the place was a hell of raging flames. Morgan, in order to excite his men the more, and to bring greater revenge upon the Spaniards, claimed that the Dons had started the blaze, but there is no question that he was the culprit, for Esquemeling, who was present, does not hesitate to make the statement. Morgan, however, had overstepped his mark; even his men fought valiantly side by side with the Spaniards to extinguish the flames, but to no avail. In half an hour an entire street was a smoldering [[109]]heap of ruins and as most of the city consisted of flimsy houses of native cedar and of thatched and wattled huts it burned like tinder. And here let me point out that the accepted ideas of this old city of Panama are very erroneous. Because the ruins left standing are of stone, the public, and many historians, have assumed that it was a city of stone buildings. This, however, was not the case. Esquemeling particularly states that, ‘all the houses of the city were built of cedar, being of curious and magnificent structure and richly adorned within, especially with hangings and paintings, being two thousand of magnificent and prodigious building with five thousand of lesser quality.’ Moreover, in the official description of the city, preserved in the Archives of Seville, it is stated that the houses were of wood, and they were divided into two classes,—those with and those without floors, the latter being greatly in the majority. Thus it is easily seen how a fire would sweep the city and wipe it out of existence in a few hours, leaving only the solidly built stone buildings remaining. Of these there were a number, including eight monasteries, two churches and a hospital, the cathedral, the slave market, the governor’s palace, the treasury and the forts. [[110]]One of the finest buildings was the slave exchange owned by Genoese slave merchants, and within this, when the town fell to the buccaneers, were over two hundred, cowering, helpless slaves. Guarding the doors that none might escape, Morgan ordered the place burnt and for hours the screams and shrieks of the manacled, helpless blacks and Indians drowned all other sounds as the poor creatures were slowly roasted to death.

“For four weeks the city burned, while the buccaneers camped within the charred ruins, but taking great care not to become separated, as they well knew that large numbers of the Spaniards were lurking near, fully armed and ready to take advantage of the least carelessness on the part of the invaders.

“In the meantime, the buccaneers searched the ruins for loot, explored the wells and cisterns and recovered large amounts of hidden treasure and valuables which had survived the flames. Meanwhile, too, Morgan sent out five hundred heavily armed men to scour the surrounding country and bring in all prisoners and valuables they could find, and two days later they returned, bringing over two hundred captives. Each day new parties were sent out and constantly they returned bearing [[111]]more loot and additional captives until the countryside for miles about was a desolate uninhabited waste.