Buccaneers and Pirates


could pay no ransom, and so L'Ollonois applied the torch to
the town. This area was too poor for such a big expedition
to mark time, but news came that the annual transport from
Spain was expected so he retired further into the gulf, anchor-
ing his big vessel to the lee of Punta Ycacos, called by the
French "Sous le Vent," now corrupted to Sullivan Caye. From
here he sent picket boats to watch the Rio Dulce. They car-
eened their vessels, made nets and fished for turtle, hunted
wild pigs, parrots, iguanas and baboons for miles around,
suffering all the time from hunger during the three months
they stayed. Sometimes they went in their canoes to what are
now Belize and St. George' Caye for a holiday. Exquemeling
calls this area "Sambales" like on Captain Dampier's map,
which was the seventeenth century Spanish name for the
Belize-Cockscomb area called by the Huguenots and Puritans
"The Mosquitos." When the transport came they decided to
let her pass and wait for her return as then she would have
money. But the Spaniards knew of the buccaneers presence,
mounted 56 cannons at the Rio Dulce, and detained the
transport. The discontented men now talked of returning to
Tortuga and began to league against each other. The vice-
admiral Moise Vauclain left in the very seaworthy vessel they
took at Puerto Caballos which was said to be the finest in all
America in 50 years. He got wrecked on a reef, but he soon
found another vessel with 150,000 pounds of cacao near
Havana. Then Pierre le Picard left, the same one who was
later with Morgan at Maracaibo.
 L'Ollonois with his big ship and 300 men on his hands
went to Cape Gracias a Dios on his trip to Nicaragua, but his
vessel which drew much water struck a reef at Corn Island
when he wanted to approach the coast. L'Ollonois discharged
his cannons, took the ship to pieces, tried to make a longboat,
planted beans and potatoes, fished, and exhorted his men to
take courage. But the neighboring Indians were unfriend-
ly, sullen, and long known as cannibals to the Spaniards.
After ten months he ascended with his new crafts the San