To attack such a place as this was a rash undertaking;
the Spaniards had perhaps a thousand soldiers, and the pirates numbered
but three hundred and eighty, but L'Olonnois did not hesitate. As usual,
he had no thought of bombardment, or any ordinary method of naval
warfare; but at the first convenient spot he landed all his men, and
having drawn them up in a body, he made them an address. He made them
understand clearly the difficult piece of work which was before them;
but he assured them that pirates were so much in the habit of conquering
Spaniards that if they would all promise to follow him and do their
best, he was certain he could take the town. He assured them that it
would be an ignoble thing to give up such a grand enterprise as this
simply because they found the enemy strong and so well prepared to meet
them, and ended by stating that if he saw a man flinch or hold back for
a second, he would pistol him with his own hand. Whereupon the pirates
all shook hands and promised they would follow L'Olonnois wherever he
might lead them.
This they truly did, and L'Olonnois, having a very imperfect knowledge
of the proper way to the town, led them into a wild bog, where this
precious pack of rascals soon found themselves up to their knees in mud
and water, and in spite of all the cursing and swearing which they did,
they were not able to press through the bog or get out of it.
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