24i JOURNA^L OF GALLEGO. 



Paul's Conversion, three days after our arrival, the ' Almiranta ' 

 hove in sight. She was much in want of water and pro- 

 visions ; and she carried no boat which, like ourselves, she had cast 

 over in the great storms ; and her main-mast was cut away. They 

 did not recognize the coast. It was our Lord's good will to bring 

 us together in this port. God knows how glad we were to see each 

 other. In preserving us through such great tempests, our Lord 



had worked a miracle They told us what had happened 



during the great storms : and that when they arrived, they had only 



one vessel (botija) of water remaining Sama, the alguacil- 



mayor of the city of Mexico, came with some people of the town of 

 Colima to see who we were, and he talked with the General." 



The two ships left the port of Santiago on the 10th of March.^ 

 Nine days afterwards, they sailed into the port of Atapulco 

 (Acapulco) to obtain news from Peru : but learning nothing, they 

 left in an hour. Gallego adds that this port is the nearest to the 

 city of Mexico, and that it lies in 17°. Proceeding along the 

 Mexican coast, they anchored outside the port of Guatulco (lying 

 according to Gallego in lo|°); and they sent a boat on shore to 



learn news of Peru and to get wine and biscuits "All the 



people of the town," the Chief-Pilot writes " were 



scared and fled into the interior, because they had heard in Mexico 

 that we were a strange Scotch people" (gente estrangera escoceses). 



Through a jealousy exhibited by the pilots of the "Almiranta" 

 towards Gallego, the " Capitana " was left behind at this port for a 

 day and a night, for which, says the object of their jealousy, the 

 General was very angry with them. However, the " Capitana " 

 arrived in the port of Caputla nine days before the other ship. The 

 people there were at first much disturbed ; but on recognising 

 Gallego, who had been there on previous occasions, they were re- 

 assured ; and they carried the news ashore that the voyagers had 

 come from " the discovery of the islands.'' On the 4th of April tlie 

 "Capitana" arrived in the port of Pealejo on the Nicaraguan coast, 



and was followed five days after by the " Almiranta " "In 



this port," continues the Chief-Pilot "we beached 



the ships and caulked the seams, and set up lower-masts and top- 

 masts, of which we had need, in order to be able to lie up for Peru. 

 With all our necessity in this port, neither the ofiicials of the govern- 



1 Gallego refers to an eclipse of the moon at nine in the night of the 10th of March. "At 

 the end of an hour the moon was clear. " 



