we, on the 12th of March, being off the port of Acapulco, saw a ship
between us and the shore. I bore down to her, till perceiving her to be
a large Europe-built ship, with Spanish colours flying, I concluded she
was the Peregrine, who, as I had been informed, had carried the Prince
of St. Bueno, who had been Viceroy of Peru, to this port in his way to
Spain. With these suspicions, being as yet unwilling to run ourselves so
immediately into the enemy’s clutches, I hauled again on a wind, which
he seeing, he pulled down his Spanish, and hoisted an English ensign,
and made the signal agreed on between Clipperton and me for knowing one
another. Had they been in any other part, I should have been so far from
entertaining any thoughts of such a change in him, that I should have
looked on all his signals as the artifices of the enemy, who might have
acquainted themselves with them by the information of such of our men as
they might have taken prisoners. But now, making no doubt that it was
he, I bore down to him, and being come along his side, he sent Captain
Cook, his second Lieutenant, in his yaul, with an obliging letter to me,
to inform me, he was cruising for the homeward-bound Manilla ship, and
desiring I would assist him in the enterprize, and come on board of him
the next morning, proposing a union of our two ships companies. I was
very well pleased with this offer, and, without hesitation, returned him
word that I would be with him early.
In the mean time, I read over his letter publicly to my people, and
exhorted them seriously to consider of the great benefits that would
accrue to us on all sides from it. Upon which they all expressed the
most resigned willingness to join in the undertaking. But, as Clipperton
had used us so unhandsomely before, they desired I would get some
security for their shares, signed by Captain Clipperton, Mr. Godfrey the
agent, and the rest of their officers. I went on board, and, according
to their request, Capt. Clipperton, and Mr. Godfrey, the owners agent,
immediately drew up an instrument fully worded for the purpose, and they
and all the other officers signed it. This was all my people wanted to
make them easy.
We then proceeded upon our main business; and, after mature
deliberation, it was thought most adviseable, that I should send the
greatest part of my men on board the Success, as soon as we saw the
Manilla ship come out of Acapulco, and leave only a boat’s crew with me
to bring me away, in case I should have occasion to make use of my ship
as a fire-ship, or a smoaker, which we jointly proposed to do, if we
found the enemy too hard for us; and it was determined to board her at
once, as we should otherwise have much the worst of it, on account of
their superior weight of metal, and the better capacity of their ships,
which are built very strong, to bear a cannonading. Clipperton assured
me, he was certain of the time when she would sail from this port, which
the Spaniards say is always within a day or two after Passion-week, of
which we had a fortnight yet to come.
Before I returned to my own ship, I acquainted Captain Clipperton with
our slender stock of provisions, but particularly with our shortness of
water; and he told me he had 80 tons of it on board, and he would spare
me as much of it as I would have, or any thing else his ship afforded.
I had now the pleasure of being restored to my command in as regular a
manner as ever; every one, from the highest to the lowest, expressing
the satisfaction he had in the prospect before us. But, Morphew, that
ringleader of all our disorders, fearing my resentment, thought it was
his best way, to insinuate himself into the favour of the Captain and
Officers of the Success, which he did effectually, by an humble,
submissive, outward deportment, and prevailing presents. In short, he
had his end, and left me; but, the next morning, Mr. Rainer, who acted
with us afterwards as Captain of marines, came on board of us to visit
his old shipmates, and so continued.
Thus we cruised in good order, and with a great deal of hope, until
March 17, when, towards evening, Clipperton, contrary to his usual
custom, stretched a-head of us about two leagues, without lowering so
much as a top-gallant-sail for us to come up with him. I could not but
be a little startled at this, as being quite contrary to his usual
method. However, I kept standing after him, as I thought, in the night,
till we were almost in the breakers on the shore, which of course
obliged us to tack, and stand out to sea again, admiring all the time
that we had had no signal for going about. The next morning we had no
sight of any ship near us, which laid me under the most terrible
apprehensions, considering the bad condition we were in for want of
water, and the vast distance we were at from any place where we could
expect to get a recruit of any, having now no choice left, but either to
beat up 220 leagues against the wind, to go to the Tres Marias, or bear
away a much more considerable distance for the gulph of Amapala, or the
island of Cocos.
But, notwithstanding our distress, I kept our cruising station for him
two or three days. At last it was resolved to bear away to the first
convenient place to water at; and, in truth, it was time, for we were
now 40 odd men, who had but three buts of water for a run of 300 leagues
and upwards, on a coast subject to long calms, variable winds, and
uncertain currents.
It was afterwards told me, that the night Clipperton left us, he
assembled all his officers, and told them it was his intention
immediately to quit the coast. His officers remonstrated to him on the
barbarity of doing this without acquainting Captain Shelvock with his
intention, and sparing us some water. But he put off their serious
expostulations with an inhuman sneer, saying, That, if I should, through
want, be obliged to surrender to the enemy, I should only share the same
fate, that, perhaps, some others had met with before me.
Thus this man, perhaps, through an excess of mean-spiritedness, and
dreading the engagement with a ship that was always known to defend
itself with some obstinacy, neglected as fine an opportunity as most of
our nation have ever had of taking this ship, which, as I was informed,
by some Spaniards from Manilla, when I was in China, came out of
Acapulco about a week after we left the cruize.--[For Capt. Clipperton’s
account of this transaction we refer the reader to the preceding
voyage.]
On March 30, in the evening, we entered the road of Sonsonnate, and, as
the sun set, saw a ship at anchor there. It being a moon-light night, I
sent the first Lieutenant, with some of the best hands, to discover what
this ship might be. On his return he informed me, the ship was a large
one, of one tier of guns at least. I nevertheless continued to ply in
all the night, and prepared for action. At day-light we found they had
hoisted a jar of powder, containing about ten gallons, with lighted
match, at each main and fore yard arm, and at the bowsprit end, with
design to let them fall on our decks if we boarded them. This
contrivance, if it had taken effect, would have soon made an end of both
ships, and of all that were in them. Seeing them so desperate in their
preparations, I expected a warm dispute with them; and, by what I could
see, they were, in all points, superior by much to us in strength.
At eleven in the morning, the sea-breeze came in, and ran us upon them
very fast, whilst our small arms were briskly and effectually employed
to break their powder jars, before we came to board them, which we did
without delay, and, after the exchange of a few shot when on board of
each other, they submitted.
This ship was called the Sacra Familia, of 300 tons, six guns, and 70
men; besides a great number of small arms, with some grenade shells and
shot. She had been, for some time before, arrived from Callao, with wine
and brandy; but had now nothing in her but fifty jars of gunpowder, and
a small parcel of rusk and jerked beef. In short, she could hardly be
said to be worth the trouble we took, and the risques we ran for her:
but she was reputed to be a better sailor, and was visibly better fitted
out than our own; wherefore I changed ships, and we all went on board
our prize, which was equipped in the warlike manner we found her, and
commissioned, on purpose to take us.
A merchant, the escrivan of the ship, being on board, desired we would
sell him the Jesus Maria, which we agreed to, and sent him on shore to
raise the money for that purpose; and at night he came off with another
Spanish gentleman, and brought us a letter of advice from the Governor
on shore, signifying that there was a treaty of peace on foot between
their Britannic and Catholic Majesties, which was what we had not before
heard of. However, I sent to the Governor, signifying that I should be
very glad to see the proclamation and articles; and that thereupon, I
should be ready to obey the commands of my Sovereign; so we came to an
agreement with the Governor to lye in the road till he sent to
Guatimala, 50 leagues distant, for those papers, provided he would
supply us with water and provisions. On the 5th of April, the Governor
sent on board two papers, which, by the best interpretation we could get
of them, did not appear to us to be in the form of proclamations. We
told those who brought the papers aboard, that we were in great want of
an interpreter; upon which they said, there were some Englishmen at
Guatimala, whom they would send for, if we would stay three days for
them, and that they would supply us with water and provisions till that
time; which we agreed to, and they desired we would send our boat on
shore every morning for the supply. Accordingly, on the 7th of April, we
sent our boat on shore with Mr. Brooks, our first Lieutenant, and five
men. This officer, men, and boat, the Governor detained under a flag of
truce, and, at night, sent off a small boat, with two of our men, with a
letter from himself, and another from Mr. Brooks. His letter signified,
that, if we did not deliver up our ship to him, he would declare us
pirates. And Mr. Brooks, by his, informed me, that it was his opinion,
that the Governor was endeavouring to bully me into a surrender, having
spoken very ambiguously of a cessation of arms: notwithstanding which, I
sent the Governor a letter, signifying, that, if we could be secured of
a safe and sure conduct for ourselves and effects to Panama, and from
thence, by the way of Porto Bello, be conveyed to any of our British
plantations, we would come to a farther treaty; which if he intended, he
was desired to signify it by firing two guns as soon as he had received
this advice, and by sending back my officer and men; if not, necessity
would oblige us to sail. At three in the morning (the Governor having
shewn no signal, nor sent any word) we weighed our anchor, yet lay to in
the bay till ten, but then made sail, being forced thereto for want of
water; having, however, no other intent, in case of the certainty of a
peace, than to deliver up the ship we were now in at the first
convenient port, as was signified to the Governor by letter.
Being now got out to sea, we reduced ourselves to a pint of water for 24
hours each man, and directed our course for the gulph of Amapala, which
was about 35 leagues to the E.S.E. of this place, in order to get a
fresh supply. The loss of my officer and boat’s crew, sensibly
diminished the number of white faces, and we should have been so much
weakened by it, that we should never have been able to manage this great
ship, with her heavy cotton sails, if we had not taken with us our negro
prisoners, who proved to be very good sailors. The loss of our boat was
also a very great inconvenience to us; but as I only thought of taking
water enough to carry us to Panama, where we were fully resolved to
surrender, if it was really peace, I imagined we might make shift
without her, and get such a quantity as we might want in two or three
days time.
The winds were favourable, and we arrived there on the tenth following
in the evening. As soon as we had entered the gulph we found ourselves
in the midst of several small islands, one of which was the island of
Tygers, where we expected to find water; but our expectations proved
vain, for, after a hazardous and fruitless search not only on that, but
on some of the greenest of the other isles, there was not the least drop
of fresh water to be found, by us, on any of them.
In this miserable condition, threatened on all sides with inevitable
destruction, unfit for the sea, fearful of trusting ourselves in the
cruel hands of the inhabitants on the shore, quite dispirited by the
continued course of misfortunes which had hitherto been our constant
attendants; but, above all, lamenting this unhappy baulk in not finding
water where we so much expected it, which had reduced us to such
extremities as we had never known before; in short, ready to sink under
the burden of our calamities, we weighed our anchor on the 13th of April
before day-break, and stood out from this gulph. And now having the open
sea before us, I brought my people in general to an obstinate resolution
not to surrender on this part of the coast, let the consequences be ever
so miserable. Upon this unanimous agreement, with not 40 gallons of
water in the ship, and no other liquids to supply the want of it, we
came to so small an allowance as half a pint of water for 24 hours; and
even this allowance was rather too large, there being no place, that we
knew of, where we could get any more, nearer than Quibo, to which
island, about 200 leagues distant from us, we shaped our course, but
having very uncertain winds and weather, we were 13 days at this
allowance. Our sufferings from the extremity of thirst are hardly to be
conceived; some drank their own water to allay the burning heat within
them, but though this moistened their mouths, it increased their misery;
some drank large draughts of sea-water, which was near putting a period
to their lives; while others eat just enough of the calavances moistened
with water to sustain life, and these suffered the least.
At length we were fortunately relieved, by falling in unexpectedly with
the island of Cano, in lat. 9 deg. N. where seeing a run of water, Mr.
Randall, without dreading the dangerous surf, passed through the
breakers, and, to the unspeakable joy of all the company, soon returned
on board with his jars filled; but as he could not bring off more than
60 or 70 gallons, I took care to restrain our people in the use of it,
allowing to each man only a quart for their immediate use: and I was the
more strict in this distribution, because Mr. Randall assured me, the
breakers were so dangerous that he believed we should not be able to get
at any more.
Being willing, however, to make another trial, I next day sent the
boatswain, to endeavour to procure a further supply; but, after wasting
the whole day in search of a smooth beach to land upon, he could not see
one spot where he durst venture on shore. Therefore, thinking we had a
stock sufficient to carry us to Quibo, I weighed anchor, and in ranging
the island I accidentally discovered a smooth beach, where the little
boat getting on shore, the crew filled nine jars, which lasted till we
arrived at Quibo, where we anchored at the same place we had twice
anchored at before. Here we consulted about surrendering ourselves to
the Spaniards, being within 80 leagues of Panama, a place of little or
no strength towards the sea, and but little frequented by the enemy’s
ships of war, where we could treat with them at a distance, and be truly
informed how affairs stood in Europe. During our deliberations we wooded
and watered at leisure; and some searched the woods for fruits to
refresh us, by way of prevention against the scurvy, which we had been
all along less subject to than any ship I ever saw or heard of in such
long runs. Those who were thus usefully employed brought us papas,
guayavas, cassia, limes, and a small kind of white sour plumb, which was
much eaten and admired by most of us; but, by its violent operation, it
put stop to our proceedings for some days. However, we soon recovered,
without any bad symptoms, and made an end of wooding and watering, and
set sail, fully determined to surrender at Panama. In our way we passed
by a great many small islands, but the most remarkable are, Montuosa,
Sebaco, and the isle of Picara, which lies on the western side of Quibo.
May 15, a small bark, taking us for Spaniards, bore down to us, the
master of which was in the greatest consternation when he found his
mistake, but recovered when he heard we were bound for Panama to
surrender, and readily offered his pilot thither, his vessel, called the
Holy Sacrament, being bound to that port, laden with dried beef, pork,
and live hogs, which, as she was leaky, he desired that I would take in
tow. I was glad this bark fell into our hands, and readily complied with
his request, because, if we found the Governor of Sonsonnate’s account
to be false, we might be thoroughly enabled by this help to go to India.
In the mean while, it had remained a point yet undetermined, who should
be the person entrusted with the flag of truce; for my people, having
known much treachery, were apprehensive the person sent would only, or
chiefly, make good his own case and that of his friends to the Governor,
and not care what became of the common men. At last, my son was judged
the fittest to go, as he would surely return, if it were purely for my
sake. Other difficulties were started that could not so easily be
removed, notwithstanding which, we kept on our way, fully fixed in our
resolution.
May 17, another small bark came down upon us, but having stood pretty
near to us, she bore away again, and ran on shore directly, at the
hazard of the lives of every soul on board. This unaccountable
behaviour, gave us good reason to believe that the Governor of
Sonsonnate’s account of a cessation of arms was groundless.
May 19, we saw a sail a-head of us, standing along shore, and being
desirous of speaking with her, I let go the bark we had in tow, and made
all the sail we could after her. We gained very little upon her all the
day; but had, nevertheless, got a great way a-head of our bark, wherein
were four of our own people and five Spaniards. However, notwithstanding
night came on, all our sail was kept abroad, and next morning we were
within gun-shot of her. I immediately ordered our colours to be spread,
fired a gun to leeward, and set a man to wave a flag of truce; but, on
sight of out English ensign, she fired at us, and so continued to do,
with her decks full of men, abusing us with the grossest appellations. I
made no return until I came close upon their quarter, and then I sent
one of their countrymen to the bowsprit end, to inform them in Spanish,
that we were bound to Panama, and desired to treat peaceably with them,
and hoped, at least, they would have some regard to the white flag which
they saw flying; but they still continued their fire; and presuming, as
I supposed, by our quiet behaviour, that we were unable to defend
ourselves, they were preparing to board us, which I no sooner perceived
than I met them with our helm, and gave them so warm a salute, that they
sheered round off from us. We just missed getting hold of them, but it
falling almost immediately calm, we continued our engagement for the
space of two or three hours at the distance of musquet-shot. At length,
a breeze wafting us nearer to them, we found that as fast as we
approached, so fast did their courage cool. Their Captain, however,
still bravely encouraging his people, and exposing himself in the
openest manner, was shot through the body, and dropped down dead; upon
which they immediately, and with one voice, cried out for quarter, and
put an end to the dispute. Mr. Randall, and two or three more, went on
board the prize, and found the prisoners, in the most submissive
posture, asking for mercy, which was granted, though they had no great
reason to expect it, after their direct breach of the laws of arms and
nations in firing at a flag of truce.
The most considerable prisoners, being brought on board, informed me,
that their ship, called the Conception de Recova, belonging to Callao,
was of the burthen of 200 tons, and laden with flour, loaves of sugar,
bales of boxes of malmalade, jars of preserved peaches, grapes, limes,
and the like, mounted six guns, and had 70 odd men on board. In this
engagement, the Spanish Captain and a negroe were killed, and one or two
slightly wounded. On our part, our gunner was slightly wounded by a
pistol ball, and our main-mast had a small piece carried out of the side
of it. We had now about 80 prisoners of all colours, though we ourselves
were not above 26.
Amongst our prisoners we had several of note, particularly Don Baltazzar
de Abarca, Conde de Rosa, an European nobleman, who had been Governor of
Pisco, and was now upon his return to Spain, together with Captain
Morel, who had formerly been taken by Captain Rogers. They were all
treated with the utmost civility, which they the more wondered at,
because, from a self-conviction of their own ungenerous behaviour
towards us, they could not but expert to have been dealt with quite
otherwise.
The winds and calms prevented our joining the Holy Sacrament, the prize
we had left behind us, till May 22, when we bore down to her, and were
surprized to find no soul on board, but that her decks and quarters were
covered with blood. By many circumstances it plainly appeared, that the
Spanish crew had butchered those who were left to assist them, while
they were asleep; otherwise it could not have happened, that five
unarmed Spaniards could have overpowered four Englishmen completely
provided with arms for their defence. It is very probable, however, that
these murderers paid with their lives, the loss of those lives they had
taken away; for, being above four leagues from the land, and having no
boat with them, they probably jumped into the sea on our approach,
fearing, if they fell into our hands, to meet the vengeance due for so
horrid a crime. That part of the deck which was dyed with gore they
endeavoured to cover, by throwing the flocks and stuffings of beds over
it; so that till these were removed, the blood was not to be seen.
This tragical accident put a damp to the pleasure we had enjoyed for a
day or two past on the account of our late prize. Our prisoners, at such
a sad and sudden change, began to be alarmed, and looked at one another
as if they all expected to be the victims of our revenge upon this
unhappy occasion. On the other hand, I was fearful lest these
apprehensions should urge them to some desperate attempt, they being 80
in number, and we not above 17 on board of our own ship, and, when we
were all together, not above 25 that could stand to arms. In this
dilemma, I ordered all the prisoners into the stern-gallery, except the
nobleman, and some of the chief officers, and a guard to be kept in the
great cabbin.
The Spanish gentlemen observing this, let fall some expressions whereby
I perceived they were afraid I intended to proceed to severities towards
their people; but I assured them, that, if I was of so revengeful a
nature, the laws of my country forbad me from indulging it; that I acted
under my King’s commission; and that the natural abhorrence our nation
had to barbarity, might quiet their fears, and make them perfectly easy.
They then, on their part, in the most solemn manner disclaimed the very
thought of an attempt upon our lives; and assured us, on their honour,
that they thought they should never be able to make a just return for
the generous treatment they had met with. It was, however, prudent to
secure our prisoners of the meaner sort, and when we had so done, we
hauled the Holy Sacrament along-side of us. She was half full of water,
and the greatest part of her dried beef was wet and spoiled, but all
that was not damaged we took out, together with some live hogs. We also
took out of the Conception a twelvemonth’s provision of bread, flour,
sugar and sweetmeats, and a like proportion for the Success, whom I
expected to find at the Tres Marias, being then a stranger to
Clipperton’s faithless desertion. I likewise took from them their launch
and their negroes; for considering we had a large ship, and a run of 175
degrees of longitude to sail, which was little less than half way round
the world, I thought we could do no other than reinforce ourselves with
these blacks, who are commonly good sailors in these parts; and, indeed,
we afterwards found we should never have reached the coasts of Asia
without them.