To the
first part of our demand the King made some demur, but when we
threatened to take him away with us on our voyage home, he promised to
send some of the big-eared men for his ransom if we would give him
speech with their chief. To the latter part of our demand Thedori
readily agreed.
"You will find nothing on board the frigate," he said, "but some bags
of stone ballast in the hold. Everything else of value has long since
been taken on shore, and is being made use of by my people."
While the messengers were away procuring the King's ransom, we
questioned Thedori as to how the Spanish frigate came to fall into his
hands, when we learnt that some time since, during a calm, the frigate,
caught by one of the strong currents which prevail among these islands,
had drifted into the harbour of Porne, where an attack had been made
upon her, and she, being short of ammunition, has been taken as a
lawful prize. The Spaniards had been allowed to depart in their boats.
So, for the second time, Donna Isabel and her people were probably
castaways upon some unknown shore.
Thus does Providence reward treachery.
When, in the course of three days, the messengers returned with the
King's ransom, we sent his Majesty ashore, to find his way back to his
own kingdom as best he could.
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