108 



porter's journal. 



CHAPTER V. 



RUN DOWN THE COAST OF CHILI AND PERU; ARRIVE AT TBE 

 GALLIPAOOS ISLA.XDS. 



On the morning of the 25th, at dayhght, we discovered 

 a sail to the northeast, which we gave chase and soon came 

 up with. She proved to be the American whale-ship 

 Charles, captain Gardner, belonging to Nantucket, about 

 four months from Lima, where she had been sent for adju- 

 dication by a privateer belonging to that port, and was libe- 

 rated after paying costs. Captain Gardner informed me, that, 

 two days before, he had been in company with the Ameri- 

 can whale-ships Walker and Barclay, near the port of Co- 

 quimbo ; that he had been chased and tired at by a Spanish 

 and an English ship ; and that he saw them take possession 

 of both the Walker and Barclay. I consequently crowded 

 all sail, in company with the Charles, for Coquimbo, with 

 an expectation of fahing in with them. At eight o'clock de- 

 scried a sail to the northward, to which I gave chase, and at 

 meridian we were near enough to discover her to be a ship 

 of war, disguised as a whaler, with whale-boats on her quar- 

 ters. She shortly afterwards hoisted the Spanish flag, when 

 we showed English colours, and fired a gun to leeward, 

 which she shortly returned, and run down for us. The 

 Charles, agreeably to directions I had previously given cap- 

 tain Gardner, hoisted an English jack over the American en- 

 sign ; the Spaniard, when at the distance of a mile, fired a shot 

 at us which passed our bow. I immediately, from her appear- 

 ance and the description I had received of her, knew her 

 to be one of the picaroons that had been for a long time 

 harassing our commerce, and felt so exasperated at his 

 firing a shot, that I was almost tempted to pour a broadside 

 into him ; but reflecting that we were under British co- 

 lours, and that the insult was not intended for the Ameri- 

 can flag, I contented myself with firing a few shot over him 

 to bring him down. Shortly afterwards, a boat was lower- 

 ed down from her, and sent to the Essex ; but perceiving 



