205 A VOYAGE TO BookVIIL 



gence ?i*nt by the viceroy of Peru to all the ports on 

 the coast of the south-sea, as well as by expresses dis- 

 patched from Guayaquil and Atacamos to Panama, 

 deferred seiidiiig" the ship that year ; which the enemy 

 bein/;- appi"i'/ed of, they burnt the Arauzaza, as they 

 had before the other prizes, and continued their voy- 

 age towards the Philippines, Avhcre by a long; perse- 

 verance ill a most tedious cruize they accomplished 

 their design. For the Acapulco ship returning when 

 all the danger was imagined to be over, fell in with 

 the Centurion, and after a short, though smart en- 

 gagement, wa» taken. 



But to reassume the thread of the narrative, to 

 which I hope this has been no disagreeable inter- 

 ruption. On the fifth of January 1742^ I set out 

 from Guayaquil for Quito, being the very worst 

 time of the year for performing that journey; and 

 as such I experienced it by several misfortunes. In 

 one of the rivers we were obliged to ford, the two 

 mules which fust entered were swept away by the 

 current, and that which carried my portmanteau was 

 lost; and the other, on which an Indian Vode and 

 led tile former, swam with great difficulty to the 

 shore, and the Indian saved himself by holding fast 

 by the creature's tail ; in which manner they were 

 tarried near a quarter of a league below the ford. If 

 the travelling up the mountains was not attended 

 with i-uch eminent danger, it was extremely trou- 

 blesonie, a space of about half a league having 

 taken me up from seven in the morning till seven 

 in the afternoon, the nuiles though light falling at 

 every step, nor w^as it an easy matte? to make thein 

 rise. And soon after the creatures became so fa- 

 tigued, they even s-unk under their own W(nght. At 

 length I reached Quito ou the nineteenth of the 

 same month ; but had hardly alighted from the 

 mules with the hopes of resting myself after these 

 dangers and fatigues, when flie president informed 



me. 



