346 A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



intercept all (nips coming from the indies. Though 

 this was in faft a faife alarm, the misfortune of meet- 

 ing the two abovementioned of a force agreeing with 

 the report, gave it to us all the appearance o{ truth i 

 and we concluded that there mull be many more 

 cruifing in proper nations near the coafts. This opi- 

 nion was very natural to us, who for above two years 

 had received no other accounts; and after what had 

 happened, it would have feemed an inexcufable ñep, 

 to have expofed fuch a valuable cargo, as that of the 

 Delivrance, in fuch a heavy veiTel, as muft unqueflion- 

 ably have fallen into the hands of the firil enemy that 

 ihould give her chace. All her force confined in four- 

 teen four-poundcrs, and about fifteen mufkets; be- 

 iides nine of our people had been difabled in the laft 

 aiflion : and what was ftili worfe, we had little or no 

 powder. Another bad circuaiilaiice was, that from 

 the damage the ihip h?.d received in the action, ihe 

 made fo much water, that though we began to pump 

 immediately on the conclufion of it, it was midnight 

 before we could free the ihip; and every one who had 

 received no hurt in the action, without diftindion, vo- 

 iDntarily took his turn in the labour. Vv'eigh.ty as thefe 

 reafons were, that the captain and his officers might 

 not be charged with raking fuch an important ftep of 

 themfelves, a reprefentation was alio made to the paf- 

 fengers, who all readily approving of it as the beii. re- 

 fource in our prefent exigency, the very fame evening 

 our courle was altered, and we began to fteer for Louif- 

 burgh as a port of lafety. 



The place where the ailion happened, according 

 to my reckoning, and the new French chart, was 96 

 leagues N. VV. five degrees wefterly from the ifland of 

 Flores. 



Aftir changing our courfe we fleered N. W. one 

 quarter wefterly, and W. one quarter northerly, till 

 the 28th, when by obfervation we found ourfelves in 

 the latitude of 46 degrees, 18 minutes, and 13 de- 

 grees 



