€h. II, south AMERICA, ^l 



of the town ; or whether, by <a vip^oroiis rcsi>ian( e 

 they might not be repelled ; the mind, on so 2:reat 

 and sudden a perturbation, being- but little eapable of 

 such reflections. 



Not so Don Nicholas de Salaza, the accomptant 

 of Piura, Ay|io happened to be then at Paita, oa 

 some affairs of his office. This gentleman, attended 

 only by a negro slave, with an equal presence of 

 mind and resolution, threw himself into the little 

 fort, built for the defence of that sniijll town, and 

 fired two or three shot towarfls the place where he 

 heard the noise of the oars. Upon this the long-^ 

 boat shopped ; but the fort was obliged to give over 

 firing for want of hands to assist ijn officer who h.ad 

 ^hewn §0 generous an example of resolution. The 

 English, concluding very naturully, that the fort 

 was also abandoned, landed a])out half a league 'N. 

 of the town, to which they imn^tediatelj marched., 

 and finding it forsaken, entered llie fort, whpre, lor 

 fear of any surprize, they kept themselves all night- 

 Bui the inhíibitanís thought of nothing but saving 

 their lives, and accQrdingly fled to a mountain, ])e- 

 twixt the Silla and the town, where they concealed 

 ;themselves, except a few slaves, who finding that tiic 

 enemy -were all retired iaio the fort, took the ad- 

 vantage of the night, and boldly returned into thft 

 town, bringing oif such arms and eüects of their 

 masters as the night would permit, biding in the sand 

 what they found too heavy to carry up to the tdp of 

 the mountain. 



There was unfortunately then at Paita great 

 quantities of meal, fruits, and brandy, consigned 

 to the provinces of the mountains, by the way of 

 Piura; besides other goods deposited in the ware- 

 houses to be sent to Panama. There was also no 

 ^mall quantity of gold and silver.. As soon as day- 

 light returned, the English left their retreat, and see- 

 ing every place forsaken, they began to enter the 



Í1UUSC5, 



