Holding This Iron By The Middle, When The
Alligator Rises To Bite, Which He Always Does With, The Head Above
Water, The Indian Holds Out The Iron To Him Which He Snaps At, And It
Fastens In His Mouth, Keeping His Jaws Open Like A Gag.
The female lays
about 100 eggs at a time, as large as goose eggs; but quite spherical,
and having shells as thick almost as those of an ostrich.
The flesh of
the alligator is not fit to be eaten, being very strong and musky; and
the very water of the rivers they frequent was so strong of musk that a
draught of it was like to suffocate us, yet there are no instances of
its being injurious to health.
Being off the Bay of Guayaquil on the 21st June, we saw a ship, and came
up with her next day, being one of the Spanish men of war fitted out to
take us, carrying thirty-two guns. We did all we could to gain the
weather-gage, but carrying away our fore-top-mast, were obliged to come
to action from the leeward, so that she kept a good distance from us,
and we could not use our small arms. Dividing our crew into two equal
parts, one managed the guns while the other looked on, and when those at
the guns were weary, the others took their places, alternately
refreshing those who were not employed, by which means we fired much
faster than the enemy, making about 560 discharges, while they only made
110 or 115. We thus fought from noon till half past six, though at such
distance that our shot would hardly reach him, while his flew over us.
Growing dusk, both ceased firing, none of our men being either killed or
wounded, and only two through carelessness had their hands and faces
scorched. We lay-to all night, expecting in the morning to renew the
fight; but he had made sail from us in the night.
We now returned to the Bay of Atacames in search of provisions, for
which purpose we sent our boat ashore with twenty men, who soon
returned, saying they had found an Indian village of fifty houses, but
the inhabitants were all fled and had left nothing behind. In the river
we found a fine bark of about fifty tons, with as much new plank in her
as would have built another of equal size; and we took another of about
ten tons, laden with plantains. This we resolved to retain, instead of a
long-boat. She had two masts and two square-sails, and having fitted her
for our purpose, we called her the Dragon. The country in the
neighbourhood of this bay is very pleasant, being well wooded and
watered. About seven leagues to the N.E. is the Bay of St Mattheo, the
land about it being very high, and there are many shoals about it,
running two leagues out to sea.
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