They
Were Preceded By Twenty Or More Horses Abreast, Two Deep, And Linked
Together, Behind Which Extraordinary Van-Guard Came
The enemy on
horseback, lying on the necks of their horses, and driving the others
before them, never seen to
Sit up on their saddles, except to fire their
muskets, or when there was no danger. When they got near our people,
they threw their lays or running nooses to catch them, and accordingly
ensnared James Daniel, one of my foremast-men, who was a good way into
the water, and whom they dragged out again at the rate of ten knots. The
Spaniards in Chili are universally dexterous in the use of this running
noose, for I have seen a Spaniard bring a man up by the foot as he ran
along the deck, and they are sure of any thing they fling at, at the
distance of several fathoms.
These misfortunes and disappointments made my crew extremely uneasy, and
might have had bad consequences, if we had not been agreeably surprised
by seeing a large ship coming round the northern point of the island of
Quiri-quinie.[262] It was at this time almost dark, so that her people
could not perceive what we were, and stood on therefore without fear, so
that she came towards us, and was taken without resistance. This ship
proved to be the St Fermin, of about 300 tons, last from Cadaco,[263]
having only a small cargo, consisting of sugar, molasses, rice, coarse
French linen, some woollen cloth and bays of Quito, a small quantity of
chocolate, and about five or six thousand dollars in money and wrought
plate. I sent Mr Hendric, the owners agent, to inspect her cargo, and to
order every thing of value out of her into the Speedwell, and the ship's
company sent their agent likewise. They returned in the afternoon,
bringing all the bales, boxes, chests, portmanteaus, and other packages,
with a large quantity of sugar, molasses, and chocolate, and about
seventy hundred weight of good rusk, with all her other stores and
eatables. Don Francisco Larragan, the captain of this ship, begged to be
allowed to ransom her, which I willingly consented to, and allowed him
to go in his own launch to Conception to raise the money, accompanied by
a merchant, one of the prisoners.
[Footnote 262: A small island in the entrance of the Bay of
Conception. - E.]
[Footnote 263: Callao, or the port of Lima, is perhaps here meant. - E.]
In the mean time we were very busy in searching the prize, lest any
thing might have been concealed; and every one who came at any time from
the St Fermin was strictly searched by some of our people appointed for
the purpose, that they might not appropriate any thing of value. Our
carpenter also was employed in making a slight spar-deck over the
Mercury, as she might be of great use while cruizing along the coast. On
the 30th December a boat came off to us with a flag of truce from the
governor of Conception, and an officer, who acquainted us that two of
our people, taken in the late skirmish, were still alive, but very much
wounded. He brought also a present of seven jars of very good wine, and
a letter from Don Gabriel Cano, the governor, in which he demanded to
see my commission, as also that I should send ashore Joseph de la
Fontaine, who had been servant to one of the mates belonging to Captain
La Jonquiere, and some other things that I thought unreasonable,
engaging to enter into a treaty, if I would comply with these
requisitions. At length a formal treaty was begun, in which I demanded
16,000 dollars for the ransom of the St Fermin alone, while they offered
only 12,000 for both the ships and the bark. Finding all his Spanish
puncto tended only to entrap us, I set fire to the Solidad, one of our
prizes; and, giving them time to comply with my proposals it they would,
I set the St Fermin also on fire.
We sailed from the bay of Conception on the 7th January, 1720, intending
for Juan Fernandez; and on the 8th we observed the sea to be entirely of
a red colour, occasioned, as the Spaniards say, by the spawn of the
camarones, or pracous. On the 9th, the plunder taken in the St Fermin
was sold by the ship's agent at the mart, and brought extravagant
prices. The account being taken, and the shares calculated, the people
insisted for an immediate distribution, which was made accordingly, and
each foremast-man had after the rate of ten dollars a share, in money
and goods. On the 11th we saw the island of Juan Fernandez; and at noon
it bore from us five leagues W.S.W. the meridional distance from
Conception being 275 miles[264] W. From that day to the 15th, I stood
off and on, waiting for my boats which were employed in fishing. In this
time I sent the Mercury ashore to stop her leaks, while the boats caught
so many fish, that we salted the fill of five puncheons. I could find no
marks of Captain Clipperton having been here for a long time; but at
length some of my men saw accidentally the words Magee and Captain
John cut upon a tree. Magee was the name of Clipperton's surgeon, but no
directions were left, as agreed upon in his instructions to me, so that
it was evident he never meant I should keep him company, or ever join
him again.
[Footnote 264: The difference of longitude between Conception and Juan
Fernandez is six degrees of longitude W. and, consequently, 360 minutes
or marine miles. - E.]
Being by this certified of the arrival of Clipperton in the South Sea, I
directly made the best of my way from Juan Fernandez, being in a pretty
good condition as to provisions, by the additional stock of fish caught
here, all our casks being filled.
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