Captain Morgan thought one of his Spanish prisoners didn’t understand English, so he let him listen to all of his plans. Well, he did understand English, and then he escaped. Oops!

>But [Morgan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Henry_Morgan_in_colour.jpg)’s illustrious career was almost deep-sixed before it even began in earnest. A Spanish prisoner who was being held by the pirates escaped from the ships and began swimming toward shore. The pirates, who didn’t think the man could understand English, had let him listen in on their council, and as soon as he reached Puerto del Príncipe, he began to tell the terrified townspeople exactly what Henry Morgan had planned for them. __________________________ **Source:** Talty, Stephan. “The Art of Cruelty.” *Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan’s Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws’ Bloody Reign*. New York: Crown Publishing Group (NY), 2007. 87. Print. ____________________________ **Further Reading:** [Harri Morgan / Sir Henry Morgan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan)