38 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I3I 



that they was all on a footing then ; and they was as good as anybody and that 

 everything was free. I thought it was best not to take any notice but prepared 

 for our going as soon as possible. Here I found the service of the Marines 

 whereof which was under command and did their duty extremely well and 

 Centenells being obliged to mount 25 Marines and 25 seamen every night, though 

 the place so small the Indians having numbers of canoes. 



Tuesday was employed getting what water we could out of the ship and put- 

 ting the boats and sloop in order. Raised the long boat a strack ^^ which enabled 

 her to carry 60 men. On Wednesday being the 8th about noon I embarked all 

 the men (which with the "Snow" included, was 274) viz 60 in the long boat, 

 20 in the barge,!-* jq i,^ ^^jjg yauP'' and 184 in the little sloop not 30 tuns; sent 

 the sloop, long boat and yaul to 3 or 4 miles from the shore. After they were 

 gone I went on board the wreck with what barrels of powder we had saved 

 (except a little we took in each boat) and laid in proper places on the Star- 

 board side the gun deck, that side being out the water by her heelding off to 

 Port and proper FewelP*' in every place we could when all being laid, about 2 

 in the afternoon, I set her on fire and rowed off to the boats we kept in sight 

 of her till sunset and she having blown up in several places and was in flames 

 fore and aft but am much afraid the guns and anchors will fall into the hands 

 of the Spaniards as they have frequent correspondence and trade with the In- 

 dians, and it is my opinion the people which left the sloop we took, were over 

 to Cuba in a launch directly to give them intelligence. This is the fatal end of 

 H.M.S. Loo exactly as it happened. I sent in the long boat Mr. Randall and 

 Mr. Lloyd, my first and third Lieuts., the Master in the barge and a mate in the 

 yaul, myself and 2 Sevts. being in the sloop which when the hold was as full 

 of men as could possibly be stowed, the deck was the same and much in danger 

 of oversetting if any wind. I ordered them to follow me and in case of separa- 

 tion to make the best of their way over to the Bahama Bank for Providence. 



I carried a light for them all night but as they all outsailed me they kept so 

 far ahead that I lost sight of them by 12 at night when I was obliged to tack 

 and stand to the northward, which did after making the proper signal but at 

 daylight could see nothing of them, and it blowing fresh and the sloop top heavy 

 with men could not carry sail, so obliged to bear away and take my fate through 

 the Gulph of Florida for any part of Carolina even for St. Augustine (if I 

 could fetch nowhere else) rather than all be drownded which Doe assure you 

 had very little other prospect but thank God met with exceeding good weather 

 and arrived at Port Royall on the 13th February at night and don't in the least 

 doubt but the boats are got safe to Providence long before this. 



I had two of the best pilots on board for the Gulph of Florida in all America 

 who insist on it there could not be a better course steered and I have been 

 numbers of times through the Gulph and am better acquainted with that and 

 the coast of Carolina than any part of the world and had I had the honour to 

 have command 20 sail and steering through for all our lives, should have steered 

 the same course or rather more northerly, which as I observed before I cannot 



13 The addition of planks to the gunwhales of the boat increasing her capacity. 

 1 ' The commanding officers boat. 

 15 A heavy double-ended row boat. 

 1" Fuel, combustibles. 



