202 A VOYAGE TO BookVIII. 



hoofes, which are fo many magazines for goods. It 

 was not long before they met with a quantity of brandy 

 and wir.e, of which, like men whofe appetites are 

 not to be governed at the fight of i}hnty after long 

 ciiiircfs, they made a very licentious ufe, and became 

 fe gready inebriated, that the mclatoes and negro 

 Haves, feeing th'rir condition, abandoned their fears, 

 and became ib familiar with the EnghUi failors, as to 

 drink with them, whila others carried off hampers 

 filled wich the goods of their mailers, together with 

 confiderable quantities of gold, which t;hey buried in 

 the f.ind. The long-boat, however, returned on- 

 board tlie fliip., but her chief fpoils confifted of pro- 

 vifions ; and die men employed in thatfervice, regaled 

 themkdves wirh a degree of intemperance equal to 

 thofe who guarded the fort. 



The inhabitants of Paita, who ftill timororoufly 

 continued on the mountain, though in want of every 

 thing, difpatched an exprefs to Don Juan de Vinatea 

 y Torres, the corregidor of Piura, and a native of 

 the Canaries, wlio, agreeably to his known cha- 

 rader of prudence and intrepidity, immediatel af- 

 fembled all the militia of that city and its depend- 

 ancies, and haPcened by forced marches through a 

 troublefomie fandy road of fourteen leagues to Paita. 

 The Englifh had been three days maiters of Paita, 

 when difcovering thefe iliccours, and being inform- 

 ed by the negroes and mulatoes, that the militia of 

 Piura, headed by a famous general, were coming to 

 (difiodge them from the town, enraged at this, but 

 wanting courage to defend what they had gained, or 

 rather iurprized, carried off Vv'hatever they could, 

 and took their leave of the place by ungeneroufly 

 fetting fire to the houfes an adlion which could re- 

 fied but little honour on the arms of their nation : 

 but was rather a malicious tranfaclion, to revenge 

 on the poor inhabitants the coming of the militia, 

 whom they did not dare to face. Nobody indeed 



imagined 



