Next Morning We Looked Into The Bay, Where We Found
This Bark At Anchor, But She Renewed Her Fire On Our Approach.
On this,
at his own request, I sent the master of the Holy Sacrament in a canoe,
with four negroes and a flag of truce, to inform the people in the other
bark of our intentions.
A gale of wind interrupted this plan, and forced
the canoe on shore, I dare say without danger to their lives, as they
seemed to land of choice. On the 19th we saw a sail ahead of us
standing along shore, on which we let go the bark we had in tow, in
which were four of our own people and five Spaniards, spreading all the
sail we could, so that by night we were at a considerable distance from
the bark. I was for lying-to all night, for the bark to come up, but the
majority insisted we should crowd sail all night, so that by day-break
of the 20th we were within less than gun-shot of the chase. I
immediately hoisted our colours, fired a gun to leeward, and sent a man
to wave a white flag on our poop, in token of truce: But they
continually fired at us, having their decks full of men, who kept
hallooing and abusing us with the grossest epithets. Still I made no
return, till I came close on their quarter, and then sent one of their
countrymen to our boltsprit-end, to inform them we were bound for
Panama, and wished to treat with them peaceably:
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