_Buccaneers under =Edward Davis=. At =Amapalla= Bay; =Cocos=
Island; The =Galapagos= Islands; Coast of =Peru=. Peruvian
Wine. =Knight= quits the =South Sea=. Bezoar Stones. Marine
productions on Mountains. =Vermejo.= =Davis= joins the French
Buccaneers at =Guayaquil=. Long Sea Engagement._
[Sidenote: 1685. August.] With Davis there remained the vessels of Knight
and Harris, with a tender, making in all four sail. August the 27th, they
sailed from the harbour of _Ria Lexa_, and as they departed Swan saluted
them with fifteen guns, to which Davis returned eleven.
[Sidenote: Proceedings of the Buccaneers under Edw. Davis. Amapalla Bay.]
A sickness had broken out among Davis's people, which was attributed to
the unwholesomeness of the air, or the bad water, at _Ria Lexa_. After
leaving the place, the disorder increased, on which account Davis sailed
to the _Bay of Amapalla_, where on his arrival he built huts on one of the
Islands in the Bay for the accommodation of his sick men, and landed them.
Above 130 of the Buccaneers were ill with a spotted fever, and several
died.
Lionel Wafer was surgeon with Davis, and has given a brief account of his
proceedings. Wafer, with some others, went on shore to the main land on
the South side of _Amapalla Bay_, to seek for provisions. They walked to a
beef farm which was about three miles from their landing. [Sidenote: A hot
River.] In the way they crossed a hot river in an open savannah, or plain,
which they forded with some difficulty on account of its heat. This river
issued from under a hill which was not a volcano, though along the coast
there were several. 'I had the curiosity,' says Wafer, 'to wade up the
stream as far as I had daylight to guide me. The water was clear and
shallow, but the steams were like those of a boiling pot, and my hair was
wet with them. The river reeked without the hill a great way. Some of our
men who had the itch, bathed themselves here, and growing well soon after,
their cure was imputed to the sulphureousness or other virtue of this
water.' Here were many wolves, who approached so near and so boldly to
some who had straggled from the rest of their party, as to give them great
alarm, and they did not dare to fire, lest the noise of their guns should
bring more wolves about them.
[Sidenote: Cocos Island.] Davis remained some weeks at _Amapalla Bay_, and
departed thence for the Peruvian coast, with the crews of his ships
recovered. In their way Southward they made _Cocos Island_, and anchored
in the harbour at the NE part, where they supplied themselves with
excellent fresh water and cocoa-nuts. Wafer has given the description
following: 'The middle of _Cocos Island_ is a steep hill, surrounded with
a plain declining to the sea. This plain is thick set with cocoa-nut
trees: but what contributes greatly to the pleasure of the place is, that
a great many springs of clear and sweet water rising to the top of the
hill, are there gathered as in a deep large bason or pond, and the water
having no channel, it overflows the verge of its bason in several places,
and runs trickling down in pleasant streams. In some places of its
overflowing, the rocky side of the hill being more than perpendicular, and
hanging over the plain beneath, the water pours down in a cataract, so as
to leave a dry space under the spout, and form a kind of arch of water.
The freshness which the falling water gives the air in this hot climate
makes this a delightful place. [Sidenote: Effect of Excess in drinking the
Milk of the Cocoa-nut.] We did not spare the cocoa-nuts. One day, some of
our men being minded to make themselves merry, went ashore and cut down a
great many cocoa-nut trees; from which they gathered the fruit, and drew
about twenty gallons of the milk. They then sat down and drank healths to
the King and Queen, and drank an excessive quantity; yet it did not end in
drunkenness: but this liquor so chilled and benumbed their nerves that
they could neither go nor stand. Nor could they return on board without
the help of those who had not been partakers of the frolick, nor did they
recover under four or five days' time[56].'
Here Peter Harris broke off consortship, and departed for the _East
Indies_. The tender sailed at the same time, probably following the same
route.
[Sidenote: At the Galapagos Islands.] Davis and Knight continued to
associate, and sailed together from _Cocos Island_ to the _Galapagos_. At
one of these Islands they found fresh water; the buccaneer Journals do not
specify which Island, nor any thing that can be depended upon as certain
of its situation. Wafer only says, 'From _Cocos_ we came to one of the
_Galapagos Islands_. At this Island there was but one watering-place, and
there we careened our ship.' Dampier was not with them at this time; but
in describing the _Galapagos_ Isles, he makes the following mention of
Davis's careening place. 'Part of what I say of these Islands I had from
Captain Davis, who was there afterwards, and careened his ship at neither
of the Islands that we were at in 1684, but went to other Islands more to
the Westward, which he found to be good habitable Islands, having a deep
fat soil capable of producing any thing that grows in those climates: they
are well watered, and have plenty of good timber. Captain Harris came
hither likewise, and found some Islands that had plenty of mammee-trees,
and pretty large rivers. They have good anchoring in many places, so that
take the _Galapagos Islands by and large_, they are extraordinary good
places for ships in distress to seek relief at[57].'
Wafer has not given the date of this visit, which was the second made by
Davis to the _Galapagos_; but as he stopped several weeks in the _Gulf of
Amapalla_ for the recovery of his sick, and afterwards made some stay at
_Cocos Island_, it must have been late in the year, if not after the end,
when he arrived at the _Galapagos_, and it is probable, during, or
immediately after, a rainy season.
The account published by Wafer, excepting what relates to the _Isthmus_ of
_Darien_, consists of short notices set down from recollection, and
occupying in the whole not above fifty duodecimo pages. He mentions a tree
at the Island of the _Galapagos_ where they careened, like a pear-tree,
'low and not shrubby, very sweet in smell, and full of very sweet gum.'
Davis and Knight took on board their ships 500 packs or sacks of flour
from the stores which had formerly been deposited at the _Galapagos_. The
birds had devoured some, in consequence of the bags having been left
exposed.
[Sidenote: 1686. On the Coast of Peru.] From the _Galapagos_, they sailed
to the coast of _Peru_, and cruised in company till near the end of 1686.
They captured many vessels, which they released after plundering; and
attacked several towns along the coast. They had sharp engagements with
the Spaniards at _Guasco_, and at _Pisco_, the particulars of which are
not related; but they plundered both the towns. [Sidenote: Peruvian Wine
like Madeira.] They landed also at _La Nasca_, a small port on the coast
of _Peru_ in latitude about 15 deg. S, at which place they furnished
themselves with a stock of wine. Wafer says, 'This is a rich strong wine,
in taste much like Madeira. It is brought down out of the country to be
shipped for _Lima_ and _Panama_. Sometimes it is kept here many years
stopped up in jars, of about eight gallons each: the jars were under no
shelter, but exposed to the scorching sun, being placed along the bay and
between the rocks, every merchant having his own wine marked.' It could
not well have been placed more conveniently for the Buccaneers.
They landed at _Coquimbo_, which Wafer describes 'a large town with nine
churches.' What they did there is not said. Wafer mentions a small river
that emptied itself in a bay, three miles from the town, in which, up the
country, the Spaniards get gold. 'The sands of the river by the sea, and
round the whole Bay, are all bespangled with particles of gold; insomuch
that in travelling along the sandy bays, our people were covered with a
fine gold-dust, but too fine for any profit, for it would be an endless
work to pick it up.'
Statistical accounts of the Viceroyalty of _Peru_, which during a
succession of years were printed annually at the end of the _Lima_
Almanack, notice the towns of _Santa Maria de la Perilla_, _Guasca_,
_Santiago de Miraflores_, _Canete_, _Pisco_, _Huara_, and _Guayaquil_,
being sacked and in part destroyed by pirates, in the years 1685, 1686,
and 1687.
[Sidenote: At Juan Fernandez.] Davis and Knight having made much booty
(Lussan says so much that the share of each man amounted to 5000 pieces of
eight), they went to the Island _Juan Fernandez_ to refit, intending to
sail thence for the _West Indies_: but before they had recruited and
prepared the ships for the voyage round the South of _America_, Fortune
made a new distribution of their plunder. Many lost all their money at
play, and they could not endure, after so much peril, to quit the _South
Sea_ empty handed, but resolved to revisit the coast of _Peru_. [Sidenote:
Knight quits the South Sea.] The more fortunate party embarked with Knight
for the _West Indies_.
[Sidenote: Davis returns to the Coast of Peru.] The luckless residue,
consisting of sixty Englishmen, and twenty Frenchmen, with Edward Davis at
their head, remained with the Batchelor's Delight to begin their work
afresh. They sailed from _Juan Fernandez_ for the American coast, which
they made as far South as the Island _Mocha_. By traffic with the
inhabitants, they procured among other provisions, a number of the Llama
or Peruvian sheep. [Sidenote: Bezoar Stones.] Wafer relates, that out of
the stomach of one of these sheep he took thirteen Bezoar stones of
several forms, 'some resembling coral, some round, and all green when
first taken out; but by long keeping they turned of an ash colour.'
[Sidenote: Marine Productions found on Mountains.] In latitude 26 deg. S,
wanting fresh water, they made search for the River _Copiapo_. They landed
and ascended the hills in hopes of discovering it. According to Wafer's
computation they went eight miles within the coast, ascending mountain
beyond mountain till they were a full mile in perpendicular height above
the level of the sea. They found the ground there covered with sand and
sea-shells, 'which,' says Wafer, 'I the more wondered at, because there
were no shell-fish, nor could I ever find any shells, on any part of the
sea-coast hereabouts, though I have looked for them in many places.' They
did not discover the river they were in search of; but shortly afterwards,
they landed at _Arica_, which they plundered; and at the River _Ylo_,
where they took in fresh water. At _Arica_ was a house full of Jesuits'
bark. [Sidenote: Vermejo.] Wafer relates, 'We also put ashore at
_Vermejo_, in 10 deg. S latitude. I was one of those who landed to see for
water. We marched about four miles up a sandy bay, which we found covered
with the bodies of men, women, and children. These bodies to appearance,
seemed as if they had not been above a week dead; but if touched, they
proved dry and light as a sponge or piece of cork. We were told by an old
Spanish Indian whom we met, that in his father's time, the soil there,
which now yielded nothing, was well cultivated and fruitful: that the city
of _Wormia_ had been so numerously inhabited with Indians, that they could
have handed a fish from hand to hand until it had come to the Inca's hand.
But that when the Spaniards came and laid siege to their city, the
Indians, rather than yield to their mercy, dug holes in the sand and
buried themselves alive. The men as they now lie, have by them their
broken bows; and the women their spinning-wheels and distaffs with cotton
yarn upon them. Of these dead bodies I brought on board a boy of about ten
years of age with an intent to bring him to _England_; but was frustrated
of my purpose by the sailors, who had a foolish conceit that the compass
would not traverse right whilst there was a dead body on board, so they
threw him overboard to my great vexation[58].'
[Sidenote: April.] Near this part of the coast of _Peru_, in April 1687,
Davis had a severe action with a Spanish frigate, named the Katalina, in
which the drunkenness of his crew gave opportunity to the Spanish
Commander, who had made a stout defence, to run his ship ashore upon the
coast. They fell in with many other Spanish vessels, which, after
plundering, they dismissed.
Shortly after the engagement with the Spanish frigate Katalina, Davis made
a descent at _Payta_, to seek refreshments for his wounded men, and
surprised there a courier with dispatches from the Spanish Commander at
_Guayaquil_ to the Viceroy at _Lima_, by which he learnt that a large body
of English and French Buccaneers had attacked, and were then in possession
of, the town of _Guayaquil_. [Sidenote: May.] The Governor had been taken
prisoner by the Buccaneers, and the Deputy or next in authority, made
pressing instances for speedy succour, in his letter to the Viceroy,
which, according to Lussan, contained the following passage: '_The time
has expired some days which was appointed for the ransom of our prisoners.
I amuse the enemy with the hopes of some thousands of pieces of eight, and
they have sent me the heads of four of our prisoners: but if they send me
fifty, I should esteem it less prejudicial than our suffering these
ruffians to live. If your Excellency will hasten the armament to our
assistance, here will be a fair opportunity to rid ourselves of them._'
[Sidenote: Davis joins other Buccaneers at Guayaquil.] Upon this news, and
the farther intelligence that Spanish ships of war had been dispatched
from _Callao_ to the relief of _Guayaquil_, Davis sailed for that place,
and, on May the 14th, arrived in the _Bay of Guayaquil_, where he found
many of his old confederates; for these were the French Buccaneers who had
separated from him under Grogniet, and the English who had gone with
Townley. Those two leaders had been overtaken by the perils of their
vocation, and were no more. But whilst in their mortal career, and after
their separation from Davis, though they had at one time been adverse
almost to hostility against each other, they had met, been reconciled, and
had associated together. Townley died first, of a wound he received in
battle, and was succeeded in the command of the English by a Buccaneer
named George Hout or Hutt. At the attack of _Guayaquil_, Grogniet was
mortally wounded; and Le Picard was chosen by the French to succeed him in
the command. _Guayaquil_ was taken on the 20th of April; the plunder and a
number of prisoners had been conveyed by the Buccaneers to their ships,
which were at anchor by the Island _Puna_, when their unwearied good
fortune brought Davis to join them.
The taking of _Guayaquil_ by the Buccaneers under Grogniet and Hutt will
be more circumstantially noticed in the sequel, with other proceedings of
the same crews. When Davis joined them, they were waiting with hopes,
nearly worn out, of obtaining a large ransom which had been promised them
for the town of _Guayaquil_, and for their prisoners.
[Sidenote: Near the Island Puna.] The information Davis had received made
him deem it prudent, instead of going to anchor at _Puna_, to remain with
his ship on the look-out in the offing; he therefore sent a prize-vessel
into the road to acquaint the Buccaneers there of his being near at hand,
and that the Spaniards were to be expected shortly.
The captors of _Guayaquil_ continued many days after this to wait for
ransom. They had some hundreds of prisoners, for whose sakes the Spaniards
sent daily to the Buccaneers large supplies of provisions, of which the
prisoners could expect to receive only the surplus after the Buccaneers
should be satisfied. At length, the Spaniards sent 42,000 pieces of eight,
the most part in gold, and eighty packages of flour. The sum was far short
of the first agreement, and the Buccaneers at _Puna_, to make suitable
return, released only a part of the prisoners, reserving for a subsequent
settlement those of the most consideration.
[Sidenote: 26th. Meeting between Spanish Ships of War and the Buccaneers.]
On the 26th, they quitted the road of _Puna_, and joined Davis. In the
evening of the same day, two large Spanish ships came in sight. Davis's
ship mounted 36 guns; and her crew, which had been much diminished by
different engagements, was immediately reinforced with 80 men from Le
Picard's party. Besides Davis's ship, the Buccaneers had only a small ship
and a _barca-longa_ fit to come into action. Their prize vessels which
could do no service, were sent for security into shallow water.
[Sidenote: A Sea Engagement of seven days.] On the morning of the 27th,
the Buccaneers and Spaniards were both without the Island _S^{ta} Clara_.
The Spaniards were the farthest out at sea, and had the sea-breeze first,
with which they bore down till about noon, when being just within the
reach of cannon-shot, they hauled upon a wind, and began a distant
cannonade, which was continued till evening: the two parties then drew
off to about a league asunder, and anchored for the night. On the morning
of the 28th, they took up their anchors, and the day was spent in distant
firing, and in endeavours to gain or to keep the wind of each other. The
same kind of manoeuvring and distant firing was put in practice on each
succeeding day, till the evening of the 2d of June, which completed the
seventh day of this obstinate engagement. The Spanish Commander, being
then satisfied that he had fought long enough, and hopeless of prevailing
on the enemy to yield, withdrew in the night. [Sidenote: June. The
Spaniards retire.] On the morning of the 3d, the Buccaneers were
surprised, and not displeased, at finding no enemy in sight.
During all this fighting, the Buccaneers indulged their vanity by keeping
the Governor of _Guayaquil_, and other prisoners of distinction, upon
deck, to witness the superiority of their management over that of the
Spaniards. It was not indeed a post of much danger, for in the whole seven
days battle, not one Buccaneer was killed, and only two or three were
wounded.
It may be some apology for the Spanish Commander, that in consequence of
Davis's junction with the captors of _Guayaquil_, he found a much greater
force to contend with than he had been taught to expect. Fortune had been
peculiarly unfavourable to the Spaniards on this occasion. Three ships of
force had been equipped and sent in company against the Buccaneers at
_Guayaquil_. One of them, the Katalina, by accident was separated from the
others, and fell in with Davis, by whom she was driven on the coast, where
she stranded. The Spanish armament thus weakened one-third, on arriving in
the _Bay of Guayaquil_, found the buccaneer force there increased, by this
same Davis, in a proportion greater than their own had been diminished.
[Sidenote: At the Island De la Plata.] Davis and Le Picard left the choice
of distance to the Spaniards in this meeting, not considering it their
business to come to serious battle unless forced. They had reason to be
satisfied with having defended themselves and their plunder; and after the
enemy disappeared, finding the coast clear, they sailed to the Island _De
la Plata_, where they stopped to repair damages, and to hold council.
They all now inclined homewards. The booty they had made, if it fell short
of the expectations of some, was sufficient to make them eager to be where
they could use or expend it; but they were not alike provided with the
means of returning to the _North Sea_. Davis had a stout ship, and he
proposed to go the Southern passage by the _Strait of Magalhanes_, or
round _Cape Horne_. No other of the vessels in the possession of the
Buccaneers was strong enough for such a voyage. All the French therefore,
and many of the English Buccaneers, bent their thoughts on returning
overland, an undertaking that would inevitably be attended with much
difficulty, encumbered as they were with their plunder, and the Darien
Indians having become hostile to them.
Almost all the Frenchmen in Davis's ship, left her to join their
countrymen, and many of the English from their party embarked with Davis.
All thoughts of farther negociation with the Spaniards for the ransom of
prisoners, were relinquished. Le Picard had given notice on quitting the
_Bay of Guayaquil_, that payment would be expected for the release of the
remaining prisoners, and that the Buccaneers would wait for it at _Cape
Santa Elena_; but they had passed that _Cape_, and it was apprehended that
if they returned thither, instead of receiving ransom, they might find the
Spanish ships of war, come to renew the attack on them under other
Commanders. On the 10th, they landed their prisoners on the Continent.
[Sidenote: Division of Plunder.] The next day they shared the plunder
taken at _Guayaquil_. The jewels and ornaments could not well be divided,
nor could their value be estimated to general satisfaction: neither could
they agree upon a standard proportion between the value of gold and
silver. Every man was desirous to receive for his share such parts of the
spoil as were most portable, and this was more especially of importance to
those who intended to march overland. The value of gold was so much
enhanced that an ounce of gold was received in lieu of eighty dollars, and
a Spanish pistole went for fifteen dollars; but these instances probably
took place in settling their gaming accounts. In the division of the
plunder these difficulties were obviated by a very ingenious and
unobjectionable mode of distribution. The silver was first divided: the
other articles were then put up to auction, and bid for in pieces of
eight; and when all were so disposed of, a second division was made of the
silver produced by the sale.
Davis and his company were not present at the taking of _Guayaquil_, but
the services they had rendered, had saved both the plunder and the
plunderers, and gave them a fair claim to share. Neither Wafer nor Lussan
speak to this point, from which it may be inferred that every thing
relating to the division was settled among them amicably, and that Davis
and his men had no reason to be dissatisfied. Lussan gives a loose
statement of the sum total and of the single shares. 'Notwithstanding that
these things were sold so dearly, we shared for the taking of _Guayaquil_
only 400 pieces of eight to each man, which would make in the whole about
fifteen hundred thousand _livres_.' The number of Buccaneers with Grogniet
and Hutt immediately previous to the attack of _Guayaquil_, was 304.
Davis's crew at the time he separated from Knight, consisted of eighty
men. He had afterwards lost men in several encounters, and it is probable
the whole number present at the sharing of the plunder of _Guayaquil_ was
short of three hundred and fifty. Allowing the extra shares to officers to
have been 150, making the whole number of shares 500, the amount of the
plunder will fall short of Lussan's estimate.
[Sidenote: They separate to return home by different Routes.] On the 12th,
the two parties finally took leave of each other and separated, bound by
different routes for the _Atlantic_.