he would permit them to return to Panama, and there live in company with their dear husbands and children, in their little huts of straw which they would erect, seeing they had not houses until the rebuilding of the city. But his answer was: He came not hither to hear lamentation and cries, but rather to seek money. Therefore they ought to seek out for that in the first place, wherever it were to be had and bring it to him, otherwise he would assuredly transport them all to such places whither they cared not to go.

The next day when the march began, those lamentable cries and shrieks were renewed in so much as it would have caused compassion in the hardest heart to hear them. But Capt. Morgan, a man little given to mercy, was not moved therewith in the least. They marched in the same order as was said before; one part of the Pirates proceeding in the van, the prisoners in the middle, and the rest of the Pirates in the rear-guard, by whom the miserable were at every step, punched and thrust in their backs and sides with the blunt end of their arms to make them march faster.

The beautiful and virtuous lady of whom we made mention heretofore for her unparalleled

constancy and chastity, was led prisoner by herself between two Pirates who guarded her. Her lamentations now did pierce the skies, seeing herself carried away into foreign captivity, often crying to the Pirates, and telling them: That she had given order to two religious persons, in whom she had relied, to go to a certain place and fetch so much money as her ransom did amount to. That they had promised faithfully to do it, but having obtained the said money, instead of bringing it to her, they had employed it another way to ransom some of their own particular friends.

This ill action of theirs was discovered by a slave, who brought a letter to the said lady. Her complaints, and the cause thereof being brought to the ears of Capt. Morgan, he thought fit to enquire thereinto. Having found the thing to be true, especially hearing it confirmed by the confession of the said religious men though under some frivolous excuses of having diverted the money but for a day or two, within which time they expected more sums to repay it, he gave liberty to the said lady, whom otherwise he designed to transport to Jamaica. But in the meanwhile he detained the said religious men as prisoners in her place,

using them according to the deserts of their incompassionate intrigues.

As soon as Capt. Morgan arrived upon his march at the town called Cruz, situated on the banks of the river Chagre as was mentioned before, he commanded an order to be published among the prisoners, that within the space of three days every one of them should bring in his ransom, under the penalty aforementioned of being transported to Jamaica.

In the meanwhile he gave orders for so much crie and maize to be collected thereabouts as was necessary for the victualling of all his ships. At this place some of the prisoners were ransomed but many others could not bring in their money in so short a time. Hereupon he continued his voyage, leaving the village on the 5th day of March next following, and carrying with him all the spoil that ever he could transport.

From this village he likewise led away some new prisoners who were inhabitants of the said place. So that these new prisoners were added to those of Panama who had not as yet paid their ransoms, and all transported. But the two religious men who had diverted the money belonging to the lady, were ransomed three

days after their imprisonment by other persons who had more compassion for their condition than they had shown for hers.

About the middle of the way to the castle of Chagre Capt. Morgan commanded them to be placed in due order according to their custom, and caused every one to be sworn that they had reserved nor concealed nothing privately to themselves, even not so much as the value of a sixpence. This being done, Capt. Morgan having had some experience that those lewd fellows would not much stickle to swear falsely in points of interest, he commanded every one to be searched very strictly, both in their clothes and everywhere it might be presumed they had reserved anything. Yea, to the intent this order might not be ill taken by his companions, he permitted himself to be searched, even to the very soles of his shoes. To this effect, by common consent, there was assigned one out of every company to be the searchers of all the rest.

The French Pirates that went on this expedition with Capt. Morgan were not well satisfied with this new custom of searching. But their number being less than that of the English, they were forced to it as well as the others had done

before them. The search being over, they reembarked in their canoes and boats, which attended them on the river, and arrived at the castle of Chagre on the 9th day of the said month of March. Here they found all things in good order, excepting the wounded men, whom they left there at the time of their departure. For of these the greatest number were dead, through the wounds they had received.

From Chagre Capt. Morgan sent presently after his arrival, a great boat to Porto Bello, wherein were all the prisoners he had taken at the Isle of St. Catherine, demanding by them a considerable ransom, threatening otherwise to ruin and demolish it even to the ground. To this message those of Porto Bello made answer: They would not give one farthing towards the ransom of the said castle, and that the English might do with it as they pleased. This answer being come, the dividend was made of all the spoil they had obtained in that voyage. Thus every company, and every particular person therein included, received their portion of what was got, or rather what part Capt. Morgan was pleased to give them. For so it was, that the rest of his companions, even of