LOSS OF A SPANISH FRIGATE. 231 
they had attempted to impose upon me relative to their capa- 
city, I took aside, consoled and encouraged them in the most 
friendly terms I could use. I had no difficulty to persuade 
them to steer for the land in whatever direction it might lie. 
They were so bent upon this measure, that if we had come to 
a shore inhabited by the most savage Indians, the most irre- 
concilable enemies of the Spanish nation, they would have 
steered for it with joy, to relieve us from the cruel extremity 
to which we were reduced. Some of them watched all night, 
in the hope of discovering some mountain that might direct 
them in their course. 
At daybreak, by unexpected good fortune, the man at the 
mast-head cried "A sail! a sail!" This sound diffused the 
utmost joy through the whole crew : we had the satisfaction 
to see that the other ship answered our signals and was ap- 
proaching us. The captain, who was a Mexican, and a friend 
of mine, no sooner knew that I commanded the frigate, than 
he hoisted out his boat and came to me to offer his services. 
After the first compliments, he informed me that we were 
near the island Del Cagno, on the south coast of the Ameri- 
can isthmus, at the extremity of the province of Costa Rica. 
It is only a league from the continent, lies in 8 deg. 30 min. 
north latitude, and is uninhabited. We resolved to put into 
it together to refresh ourselves. 
When Don Louis de Legnare, the Mexican captain, was 
informed of the extremity to which we were reduced, he 
immediately sent on board the frigate, fowls, bread, fruits, 
and other refreshments, capable of recruiting our exhausted 
strength, and taking away the bad taste of the old spaniel and 
his bed. We at length landed on the island, dined in the re- 
freshing shade of some plantain trees, situated on the banks 
of a pleasant rivulet, which, at the distance of one hundred 
paces from the spot, discharged itself into the sea. Don 
Louis's vessel being freighted only with provisions, fruits, &c. 
that he intended to dispose of at Panama, the passengers in 
the frigate and my sailors had abundance for their money. 
They took no more than was sufficient for four days, under 
the certain expectation that in two or three days they should 
arrive at Caldera. For my part, I was gratuitously supplied 
by Don Louis with all sorts of poultry, fruits, biscuits, pre- 
serves, chocolate, and other articles ; but, notwithstanding all 
my entreaties that he would suffer me to pay him for them, 
he would not consent, saying, I might perhaps, some day do 
as much for him. 
