“‘We got near enough now to try the hand-grenades.
“‘These were simply large bottles filled with gunpowder and bullets, with a lighted fuse, the whole rolled round with cloth.
“‘They were terribly effective.
“‘Now Morgan could have sunk that ship without boarding; but he was a man of impatience and spirit, and besides, his crew longed to get their brown hands on the throats of the foe.
“‘So we hauled alongside.
“‘I never wish to see so awful a fight again, nor to hear such shrieks and cries of pain or for mercy on the one hand, or such maledictions on the other.
“‘Soon the Spaniards threw away their arms, and were hounded forward, a mere mob, to await their doom at the forecastle-head.
“‘Then the ship was plundered, and the captain and officers were hanged.
“‘“It is the death you intended for us, Señor Capitan,” said Morgan brutally; “and you shall be the first to have the hempen handkerchief around your neck. If you find it too tight, tell us after you reach the yard-arm.”
“‘I closed my eyes. I felt sick, and bitterly repented having joined the pirate ship.