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.