My Two Men Who Brought These Letters Offering Their Service, And
A Third Volunteering To Accompany Them, To Bale Out
The water from their
wretched canoe, I sent a letter in French to the governor, offering, if
I could be
Assured of a safe conduct for ourselves and effects to
Panama, and thence by way of Portobello to one of the British colonies,
we would enter into a farther treaty, which he might signify, if he
meant to comply, by firing two guns, and by sending off my people with
the usual supply; otherwise necessity would compel us to sail that
night. Receiving no reply whatever, I weighed before day next morning,
and made sail, leaving the Jesu Maria behind, a much more valuable ship
than the one I took away.
On going to sea, we reduced ourselves to a pint of-water in the
twenty-four hours, and directed our course for the gulf of Amapala,
about thirty-five leagues S.S.E. [274] meaning to water there on the
island of Tigers. The loss of my officer and boat's crew sensibly
diminished the number of white faces among us, and so lessened our
strength, that we should never have been able to manage this great ship,
with her heavy cotton sails, but for our negro prisoners, who proved to
be very good sailors. The loss of our boat was a great inconvenience to
us; but as I meant only to provide water enough to serve us to Panama,
where we were determined to surrender ourselves, if it were really
peace, I thought we might contrive to get such a quantity of water as
might suffice, in two or three days, by means of our canoe.
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