went ascending up to a round crown or knoll, pretty high; away they ran
thither, and set up a frame in an instant. But, as they were making
these preparations, behold, to confirm their news, they saw a third
rocket rise up in the air, in the same place as before.
It was near an hour from the first flash, as they called it, before they
could get all things ready; but then they fired two rockets from the
adjoining hill, soon after one another, and, after that, at about ten
minutes' distance of time, a third, which was just as by agreement, and
was perfectly understood, the rockets performing extremely well.
Upon this they saw another single rocket rise up, which was to let them
know that their former was seen and understood.
This was, you will conclude, a very joyful night, and the next morning
they went all hands to work at the boats, getting out of the creek
early, and made the best of their way. However, with all they could do,
they could not go above twelve miles that day, for the current setting
over to the other shore, had left them, and in some places, they would
rather have an eddy stream against them, and this discouraged them a
little, but, depending that they were near their port, and that their
friends were not far off, they were very cheerful. At night they looked
out again for rockets, the sight of which failed not to rejoice their
hearts again, and with this addition, that it appeared their friends
were not above four or five miles off; they answered the rockets
punctually, and proceeding early the next day, they met in the morning
joyfully enough, as has been said.
We were overjoyed at meeting, as may be easily conceived; but, to see
the pitiful boat, or periagua, they came on board in, a little surprised
us; for, indeed, it was a wonder they should be able to make it swim
under them, especially when they came out into the open sea.
As soon as we had the boat in reach, we hauled it up into the ship for a
relic, and, taking two of the men with us, we manned out all our ship's
boats to go and fetch the rest, for they were, as these men told us,
about seventeen miles up the river still, and could not come any
farther, their boats being not able to bring them along, and the river
growing very broad and dangerous. The eldest of my midshipmen came in
this first boat, but the captain and the other stayed with the men, who
were very unruly, and frequently quarrelling and wrangling about their
wealth, which, indeed, was very considerable; but they were above twice
as far up the river as the men told us, having halted after the boat
left them.
When our boats came to them, and took them in, I ordered they should be
set on shore, and their tents put up there, till I had settled matters a
little with them, having had an account how mutinous and fractious they
had been; and I made them all stay there till I had fully adjusted
everything with them about their treasure, which, indeed, was so much,
that they scarce knew how to govern themselves under the thought of it.
Here I proposed conditions to them at first, that all the gold should be
shared before they went on board, and that it should be put on board the
ship, as goods for every man's single account; that I would give them
bills of lading for it; and I offered to swear to them to deliver it
into every man's possession, separately, at the first port we should
come to an anchor at in England or France; and that, at that said port,
they should every man have the 100_l._ I had promised them, as above,
for the undertaking this journey, delivered to them in gold dust, to
that amount, and that they, alone, should have full liberty to go on
shore with it, and go whither they would, no man whatever but themselves
being allowed to set foot on shore in the same place, distress excepted.
This they insisted on, because they had done some things, they said,
which, if I would, I might bring some of them to the gallows. However, I
promised to forgive them, and to inquire no more after it.
In a word, there had been a scuffle among them, in which one of their
canoes was overset, as was said, and one of their number drowned, at the
same time when they lost a great part of their gold; and some were
thought to have done it maliciously too.
But, as I had no occasion to trouble them on that score, not having been
upon the spot when it was done, so, having made this capitulation with
them, I performed it punctually, and set them all on shore, with their
wealth, in the river of Garonne, in France; their own gold, their
100_l._'s worth reward for their journey, their wages, and their share
of pearl, and other advantages, made them very rich; for their cargo,
when cast up on shore, amounted to about 400_l._ a man. How they
disposed of themselves, or their money, I never gave myself the trouble
to inquire, and if I had, it is none of my business to give an account
of it here.
We dismissed also near fourscore more of our men afterwards, in a little
creek, which was at their own request; for most of them having been of
the Madagascar men, and, by consequence, pirates, they were willing to
be easy, and I was as willing to make them so, and therefore cleared
with as many of them as desired it. But I return to our ship.
Having thus made a long capitulation with our travellers, I took them
all on board, and had leisure enough to have a long narration from them
of their voyage; and from which account, I take the liberty to recommend
that part of America as the best and most advantageous part of the whole
globe for an English colony, the climate, the soil, and, above all, the
easy communication with the mountains of Chili, recommending it beyond
any place that I ever saw or read of, as I shall farther make appear by
itself.
We had nothing now to do, but to make the best of our way for England;
and setting sail from the mouth of the river Camerones, so the Spaniards
call it, the 18th of January, in which we had a more difficult and
unpleasant voyage than in any other part of our way, chiefly because,
being a rich ship, and not knowing how affairs stood in Europe, I kept
to the northward as far as the banks of Newfoundland, steering thence to
the coast of Galicia, where we touched as above; after which, we went
through the Channel, and arrived safe in Dunkirk road the 12th of April;
and from thence gave private notice of our good fortune to our merchants
and owners; two of whom came over to us, and received at our hands such
a treasure as gave them reason to be very well satisfied with their
engagement. But, to my great grief, my particular friend, the merchant
who put us upon this adventure, and who was the principal means of our
making the discoveries that have been here mentioned and described, was
dead before our return; which, if it had not happened, this new scheme
of a trade round the world had, perhaps, not been made public till it
had been put in practice by a set of merchants designed to be concerned
in it from the New Austrian Netherlands.
THE END OF THE NEW VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.