At the moment of impact these grapnels were
slung to bind the Spaniard to them, those aloft being intended to
complete and preserve the entanglement of the rigging.
Aboard the rudely awakened galleon all was confused hurrying,
scurrying, trumpeting, and shouting. At first there had been a
desperately hurried attempt to get up the anchor; but this was
abandoned as being already too late; and conceiving themselves on
the point of being boarded, the Spaniards stood to arms to ward
off the onslaught. Its slowness in coming intrigued them, being
so different from the usual tactics of the buccaneers. Further
intrigued were they by the sight of the gigantic Wolverstone
speeding naked along his deck with a great flaming torch held high.
Not until he had completed his work did they begin to suspect the
truth - that he was lighting slow-matches - and then one of their
officers rendered reckless by panic ordered a boarding-party on to
the shop.
The order came too late. Wolverstone had seen his six fellows drop
overboard after the grapnels were fixed, and then had sped, himself,
to the starboard gunwale.
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