The spot, which an instant before was animated by the cries of combatants and the continued report of firearms, sank suddenly into the completest silence.
Only, as soon as the men had paused in their work of destruction, the condors, the vultures, and urubus commenced theirs.
After pirates, birds of prey! that is according to the order of things.
Swarms of condors, vultures, and urubus came hovering over the dead bodies, upon which they fell uttering sharp cries, and made a horrible carnage of human flesh, in sight of the Mexicans, who did not dare to leave their entrenchments, and were forced to remain spectators of this hideous banquet of the wild creatures.
The pirates rallied in a ravine, out of reach of the fire, and counted their numbers.
Their losses were enormous; out of forty, nineteen only remained.
In less than an hour they had had twenty-one killed, more than half of their whole band.
The Mexicans, with the exception of Captain Aguilar, had neither killed nor wounded.
The loss the pirates had sustained made them reflect seriously upon the affair.
The greater number were of opinion it would be best to retire, and give up an expedition which presented so many dangers and so few hopes of success.