With their cutlasses they hewed off branches of trees and threw these down in the bog, making a sort of rude roadway by means of which they were able to get out on solid ground.

But here they found themselves confronted by a large body of Spaniards, entrenched behind earthworks.

Cannon and musket were opened upon the buccaneers, and the noise and smoke were so terrible they could scarcely hear the commands of their leaders.
Never before, perhaps, had pirates been engaged in such a land battle as this.

Very soon the Spaniards charged from behind their earthworks, and then L'Olonnois and his men were actually obliged to fly back.

If he could have found any way of retreating to his ships, L'Olonnois would doubtless have done so, in spite of his doughty words, when he addressed his men, but this was now impossible, for the Spaniards had felled trees and had made a barricade between the pirates and their ships.