But it was never issued.

At that moment a terrific rolling thunderclap drowned his voice and shook the very air.

Colonel Bishop jumped, his negroes jumped with him, and so even did the apparently imperturbable Mr.Blood.Then the four of them stared together seawards.
Down in the bay all that could be seen of the great ship, standing now within a cable's-length of the fort, were her topmasts thrusting above a cloud of smoke in which she was enveloped.

From the cliffs a flight of startled seabirds had risen to circle in the blue, giving tongue to their alarm, the plaintive curlew noisiest of all.
As those men stared from the eminence on which they stood, not yet understanding what had taken place, they saw the British Jack dip from the main truck and vanish into the rising cloud below.

A moment more, and up through that cloud to replace the flag of England soared the gold and crimson banner of Castile.