As This Small Supply Was
Insufficient For Our Necessities, We Resolved To Return To The S.E. To
The Rio San Jago,[189] Where We Anchored On The 11th.
This is one of
the most considerable rivers on the west coast of New Spain.
The country
having a good appearance, Captain Swan sent seventy men to look for a
town. After rowing up and down for two days, they landed in a corn
field, and, while busy in gathering maize, they seized an Indian, who
told them of a town called Santa Pecaque, four leagues farther.
[Footnote 188: The mouth of this river is in lat. 28 deg. N. about fifty
miles S.E. from Cape Mazatlan, where Dampier seems to have been then at
anchor among the Mazatlan isles. - E.]
[Footnote 189: So called by Dampier from the town of St Jago on its
banks. Its proper name is the Rio Grande, or river of Tololotlan.
The mouth of this river forms a large bay, in lat 21 deg. 30' N. in which is
the considerable island of St Blas. - E.]
Returning to the ship with this intelligence, Captain Swan went with 140
men in eight canoes, and landed five leagues up the river, which was
there about a pistol shot across with high banks. He marched from thence
through fertile plains and woods for three or four hours, and on
approaching St Pecaque the Spaniards evacuated the place, so that we
entered unopposed. This town is situated in a spacious plain on the side
of a wood, being neatly built, with a market-place in the middle, but
not large, and has two churches. There are silver-mines five or six
leagues from this town, the ore from which is carried on mules to
Compostella to be refined. Compostella, the capital of this part of
Mexico, is twenty-one leagues from Pecaque, being inhabited by seventy
families of Spaniards, and by five or six hundred mulattoes and Indians.
Finding great plenty of maize, sugar, salt, and salt fish at this place,
Captain Swan divided his men into two parts, one of which kept
possession of the place, while the other half were employed to carry
these articles to the canoes, which was done turn and turn about, with
the assistance of some horses. We continued this work for two days; but
on the 19th Captain Swan learnt from a prisoner that 1000 men had
marched from St Jago, a rich town three leagues from Pecaque on the
river, for the purpose of attacking us. On this Captain Swan wanted our
people to march altogether with what provisions we could carry; but they
refused to obey him till all the provisions should be carried on board,
and he was forced to allow half of them to go on with fifty-four loaded
horses. They had not gone a mile from Pecaque when they were attacked by
the Spaniards from an ambush, and were all slain on the spot. Captain
Swan marched to their relief, but came too late, finding the whole party
slain and stripped naked; yet the Spaniards never once attempted to
engage him, having certainly paid dear for their victory.
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