THE ATTACK ON PAITA.
The town of Paita is situated in the latitude of 5 degrees 12 minutes
south, in a most barren soil, composed only of sand and slate; the extent
of it is but small, containing in all less than two hundred families. The
houses are only ground floors, the walls built of split cane and mud, and
the roofs thatched with leaves. These edifices, though extremely slight,
are abundantly sufficient for a climate where rain is considered as a
prodigy, and is not seen in many years; so that it is said that a small
quantity of rain falling in this country in the year 1728, it ruined a
great number of buildings, which mouldered away, and, as it were, melted
before it. The inhabitants of Paita are principally Indians and black
slaves, or at least a mixed breed, the whites being very few. The port of
Paita, though in reality little more than a bay, is esteemed the best on
that part of the coast, and is indeed a very secure and commodious
anchorage. It is greatly frequented by all vessels coming from the north,
since it is here only that the ships from Acapulco, Sonsonnate, Realejo
and Panama can touch and refresh in their passage to Callao; and the
length of these voyages (the wind for the greatest part of the year being
full against them) renders it impossible to perform them without calling
upon the coast for a recruit of fresh water. It is true, Paita is
situated on so parched a spot that it does not itself furnish a drop of
fresh water, or any kind of greens or provisions, except fish and a few
goats; but there is an Indian town called Colan, about two or three
leagues distant to the northward, whence water, maize, greens, fowls,
etc., are brought to Paita on balsas, or floats, for the convenience of
the ships that touch here; and cattle are sometimes brought from Piura, a
town which lies about fourteen leagues up in the country. The town of
Paita is itself an open place; its sole protection and defence is a small
fort near the shore of the bay. It was of consequence to us to be well
informed of the fabric and strength of this fort; and by the examination
of our prisoners we found that there were eight pieces of cannon mounted
in it, but that it had neither ditch nor outwork, being only surrounded
by a plain brick wall; and that the garrison consisted of only one weak
company, but the town itself might possibly arm three hundred men more.
PREPARING FOR A NIGHT ATTACK.
Mr. Anson having informed himself of the strength of the place, resolved
to attempt it that very night. We were then about twelve leagues distant
from the shore, far enough to prevent our being discovered, yet not so
far but that, by making all the sail we could, we might arrive in the bay
with our ships in the night. However, the Commodore prudently considered
that this would be an improper method of proceeding, as our ships, being
such large bodies, might be easily discovered at a distance even in the
night, and might thereby alarm the inhabitants and give them an
opportunity of removing their valuable effects. He therefore, as the
strength of the place did not require our whole force, resolved to
attempt it with our boats only, ordering the eighteen-oared barge and our
own and the Trial's pinnaces on that service; and having picked out
fifty-eight men to man them, well provided with arms and ammunition, he
gave the command of the expedition to Lieutenant Brett, and gave him his
necessary orders. And the better to prevent the disappointment and
confusion which might arise from the darkness of the night and the
ignorance of the streets and passages of the place, two of the Spanish
pilots were ordered to attend the lieutenant and to conduct him to the
most convenient landing-place, and were afterwards to be his guides on
shore. And that we might have the greater security for their faithful
behaviour on this occasion, the Commodore took care to assure all our
prisoners that if the pilots acted properly they should all of them be
released and set on shore at this place; but in case of any misconduct or
treachery, he threatened them that the pilots should be instantly shot
and that he would carry all the rest of the Spaniards who were on board
him prisoners to England.
During our preparations the ships themselves stood towards the port with
all the sail they could make, being secure that we were yet at too great
a distance to be seen. But about ten o'clock at night, the ships being
then within five leagues of the place, Lieutenant Brett, with the boats
under his command, put off, and arrived at the mouth of the bay without
being discovered; but no sooner had he entered it than some of the people
on board a vessel riding at anchor there perceived him, who instantly put
off in their boat, rowing towards the fort, shouting and crying, "The
English! the English dogs!" by which the whole town was suddenly alarmed;
and our people soon observed several lights hurrying backwards and
forwards in the fort and other marks of the inhabitants being in great
motion. Lieutenant Brett on this encouraged his men to pull briskly up to
the shore, that they might give the enemy as little time as possible to
prepare for their defence. However, before our boats could reach the
shore, the people in the fort had got ready some of their cannon and
pointed them towards the landing-place; and though in the darkness of the
night it might be well supposed that chance had a greater share than
skill in their direction, yet the first shot passed extremely near one of
the boats, whistling just over the heads of the crew. This made our
people redouble their efforts, so that they had reached the shore, and
were in part disembarked by the time the second gun fired. As soon as our
men landed they were conducted by one of the Spanish pilots to the
entrance of a narrow street, not above fifty yards distant from the
beach, where they were covered from the fire of the fort; and being
formed in the best manner the shortness of the time would allow, they
immediately marched for the parade, which was a large square at the end
of this street, the fort being one side of the square and the Governor's
house another. In this march (though performed with tolerable regularity)
the shouts and clamours of three-score sailors who had been confined so
long on ship-board, and were now for the first time on shore in an
enemy's country--joyous as they always are when they land, and animated
besides in the present case with the hopes of an immense pillage--the
huzzahs, I say, of this spirited detachment, joined with the noise of
their drums and favoured by the night, had augmented their numbers, in
the opinion of the enemy, to at least three hundred; by which persuasion
the inhabitants were so greatly intimidated that they were much more
solicitous about the means of their flight than of their resistance. So
that though upon entering the parade our people received a volley from
the merchants who owned the treasure then in the town, and who, with a
few others, had ranged themselves in a gallery that ran round the
Governor's house, yet that post was immediately abandoned upon the first
fire made by our people, who were thereby left in quiet possession of the
parade.
A SMART PIECE OF WORK.
On this success Lieutenant Brett divided his men into two parties,
ordering one of them to surround the Governor's house, and, if possible,
to secure the Governor, whilst he himself with the other marched to the
fort with an intent to force it. But, contrary to his expectation, he
entered it without opposition; for the enemy, on his approach, abandoned
it, and made their escape over the walls. By this means the whole place
was mastered in less than a quarter of an hour's time from the first
landing, with no other loss than that of one man killed on the spot and
two wounded, one of whom was the Spanish pilot of the Teresa, who
received a slight bruise by a ball which grazed on his wrist. Indeed,
another of the company, the Honourable Mr. Keppel, son to the Earl of
Albemarle, had a very narrow escape; for having on a jockey cap, one side
of the peak was shaved off close to his temple by a ball, which, however,
did him no other injury. And now Lieutenant Brett, after this success,
placed a guard at the fort, and another at the Governor's house, and
appointed sentinels at all the avenues of the town, both to prevent any
surprise from the enemy, and to secure the effects in the place from
being embezzled. And this being done, his next care was to seize on the
custom-house where the treasure lay, and to examine if any of the
inhabitants remained in the town, that he might know what further
precautions it was necessary to take. But he soon found that the numbers
left behind were no ways formidable; for the greatest part of them (being
in bed when the place was surprised) had run away with so much
precipitation that they had not given themselves time to put on their
clothes. And in this precipitate rout the Governor was not the last to
secure himself for he fled betimes, half-naked. The few inhabitants who
remained were confined in one of the churches under a guard, except some
stout Negroes who were found in the place. These, instead of being shut
up, were employed the remaining part of the night to assist in carrying
the treasure from the custom-house and other places to the fort. However,
there was care taken that they should be always attended by a file of
musketeers.
The transporting the treasure from the custom-house to the fort was the
principal occupation of Mr. Brett's people after he had got possession of
the place. But the sailors, while they were thus employed, could not be
prevented from entering the houses which lay near them in search of
private pillage. And the first things which occurred to them being the
clothes which the Spaniards in their flight had left behind them, and
which, according to the custom of the country, were most of them either
embroidered or laced, our people eagerly seized these glittering habits,
and put them on over their own dirty trousers and jackets; not
forgetting, at the same time, the tie or bag-wig, and laced hat, which
were generally found with the clothes. When this practice was once begun
there was no preventing the whole detachment from imitating it; and those
who came latest into the fashion, not finding men's clothes sufficient to
equip themselves, were obliged to take up with women's gowns and
petticoats, which (provided there was finery enough) they made no scruple
of putting on and blending with their own greasy dress. So that, when a
party of them thus ridiculously metamorphosed first appeared before Mr.
Brett, he was extremely surprised at their appearance and could not
immediately be satisfied they were his own people.