Thus, when night fell, although in mortal anxiety of the onslaught
of those wild devils whose reckless courage was a byword on the seas
of the Main, at least the Spaniards were tolerably prepared for it.
Waiting, they stood to their guns.
And whilst they waited thus, under cover of the darkness and as the
tide began to ebb, Captain Blood's fleet weighed anchor quietly; and,
as once before, with no more canvas spread than that which their
sprits could carry, so as to give them steering way - and even these
having been painted black - the four vessels, without a light
showing, groped their way by soundings to the channel which led to
that narrow passage out to sea.
The Elizabeth and the Infanta, leading side by side, were almost
abreast of the fort before their shadowy bulks and the soft gurgle
of water at their prows were detected by the Spaniards, whose
attention until that moment had been all on the other side. And
now there arose on the night air such a sound of human baffled fury
as may have resounded about Babel at the confusion of tongues.
Pages:
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343