While Here, New Disturbances Arose Among The Men, In Relation To The
Effects Taken In The Late Prize; As We Had Here An Opportunity Of
Purchasing Various Things, And Every One Wished To Have The Means Of
Purchasing.
To put an end to all these heart-burnings, and to fix the
people in a resolution of doing
Their duty, we determined to settle this
affair by framing such articles as might inspire the seamen with courage
and constancy, and make them as willing to obey as the officers to
command, without giving our owners any cause of complaint. It cost us
some trouble to adjust these articles, but they effectually answered our
purpose, and all our people readily agreed to abide by them.
After staying two days here, in which we heeled our ships, and got wood
and water on board, our boat returned with limes and tobacco; but our
linguist, who had been sent ashore to procure refreshments, did not make
his appearance. Soon after there came a boat from that part of the
island where the governor resides, on board of which was the
deputy-governor, a negro, who brought limes, tobacco, oranges, fowls,
potatoes, hogs, bananas, musk-melons, watermelons, and brandy, all of
which we bought of him, paying in prize goods we had taken out of the
bark at the Canaries, and at a cheap rate; for they are a poor people,
and are ready to truck for any thing they want at any price, in such
payments as they can make. Being ready to sail, we called a council to
consider what was to be done in respect to the absence of our linguist,
who had promised the deputy-governor to wait for him at the water-side,
but had broke his word; and therefore, as his absence seemed to be
entirely his own fault, it was unanimously resolved that we ought to
leave him behind, rather than our two ships should wait for one man,
who had disobeyed orders. We were the more inclined to this, that others
might learn, by this example, to comply with their instructions when
sent ashore, and might come aboard again without delay, after completing
their business, and not flatter themselves that fair words and fine
excuses were to atone for breach of duty, to humour the fancies of
individuals, at the expence of delaying the voyage. This was certainly
but an indifferent place for our linguist to be left in; but he knew the
people and the language, and might easily get a passage home. We
persisted therefore in our resolution, and gave orders for sailing as
soon as possible, that we might not lose the proper season, and be
obliged to double Cape Horn at a wrong time of the year.
Captain Dampier and others in our ships, who had formerly put in at St
Jago, another of the Cape Verd islands, said that this island of St
Vincent, though not so much frequented, is preferable to St Jago for
outward-bound ships, as its road is much better, has better land, and is
more convenient for wood and water.
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