LOSS OF A JAMAICA SLOOP. 243 
prosecution of his voyage are so various and interesting, that 
we shall lay them before our readers in the captain's own 
words. 
" We set sail from Jamaica in company with another sloop 
belonging to the same o\\'ner, in order to load logwood and 
sarsapariila on the coast of New Spain, and had agreed to 
rendezvous at Truxillo, if we lost company ; touched at 
Blewfields, where we watered, and proceeded on our voyage. 
I being then unacquainted in those seas, had a pilot sent on 
board by the owner, and I was directed to keep company with 
the other sloop commanded by Captain Gill, who was reckon- 
ed a good pilot in that part of the world. 
" After we had sailed about a week from Jamaica, having 
little wind, saw the coast of the Moschettos ; and at the same 
time the wind began to freshen, with a small drizzling rain. 
The wind soon after shifting from the N. E. to the N. and N. 
by W. and blowing hard, tacked and stood to the eastward; 
the wind increasing to a storm, obliged us to haul down our 
main-sail and jib, and lay by under our fore-sail. Night com- 
ing on, lost sight of our consort, and made several false fires, 
but was not answered, so that I gave over the hopes of seeing 
her any more. 
" About nine or ten of the clock at night, there being a very 
great sea raised by the wind, our bowsprit gave way and fell 
under the lee bow; endeavored to save it, but the sea running 
so high, could not, and being afraid it would stave a hole in the 
bow of the vessel, were obliged to cut it away; and while 
some men were cutting away the bowsprit, others were car- 
rying the hawser forward for a stay, in order to secure the 
mast, and then reefed the fore-sail and set it; but the storm 
continuing, were soon obliged to haul it doAvn again. About 
eleven o'clock at night we suddenly saw the water look very 
white, which made me afraid that we were upon some shoal, 
and immediately hove the lead, and found fourteen fathom wa- 
ter : kept heaving it, expecting every moment to be ashore. 
Set the fore-sail again. I inquired of my pilot in relation to 
the depth of water, but found he knew nothing of the matter. 
Hove the lead several times in the space of a quarter of an 
hour, and had almost the same water, it shoaled very little, 
which gave me hopes that we were not in so much danger 
as I before feared. The wind easing a little, we double reef- 
ed our main-sail and set it, and hauled down the fore-sail, 
which kept the sloop's head more to the wind. In about an 
hour the water shoaled to thirteen fathom, and so to twelve, 
