From there they were sent in a ship to Porto Bello, a neighboring coast
town, Morgan threatening that place with destruction unless a heavy ransom
was sent him. The inhabitants sent word back that not a half-penny would
be paid, and that he might do what he pleased. What he pleased to do was
to carry out his threat of destroying the town.
The final outcome of this frightful raid remains to be told. It
demonstrated that Morgan was as faithless to his companions as he was
ferocious to his victims. On their way back from Panama he ordered that
every man should be searched and every article they had secreted be added
to the general store. To induce them to consent he offered himself to be
searched first. In the final division, however, of the spoil, which was
valued at four hundred and forty-three thousand two hundred pounds weight
of silver, he played the part of a traitor, many of the most precious
articles disappearing from the store and the bulk of the precious stones
especially being added by Morgan to his share.
This and other acts of the leader created such a hostile feeling among the
men that a mutiny was imminent, to avoid which Morgan secretly set sail
with his own and three other vessels, whose commanders had shared with him
in the unequal division of the spoil.
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