LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 4l0 
my feelings may be tolerated. You will also meet with a 
number of sea terms, which, if you do not understand, why, 
I cannot help you, as I am unable to give a sea description in 
any other words. 
To begin then: — On the 2d of April, 1780, we weighed 
and sailed from Port Royal, bound for Pensacola, having two 
store-ships under convoy, and to see safe in ; then cruise off 
the Havanna, and the gulf of Mexico, for six weeks. In a 
few days we made the two sandy islands that look as if they 
had just risen out of the sea, or fallen from the sky ; inhabit- 
ed, nevertheless, by upward of three hundred Englishmen, 
who get their bread by catching turtles and parrots, and rais- 
ing vegetables, which they exchange with ships that pass, for 
clothing, and a few of the luxuries of life. 
About the 12th we arrived at Pensacola, without any thing 
remarkable happening, except our catching a vast quantity of 
iish, sharks, dolphins, and bonettos. On the 13th sailed sin- 
gly, and on the 1 4th had a very heavy gale of wind at north, 
right off the land, so that we soon left the sweet place, Pen- 
sacola, a distance astern. We then looked into the Havanna, 
saw a number of ships there, and knowing that some of them, 
were bound round the bay, we cruised in the track : a fort- 
night, however, passed, and not a single ship hove in sight to 
cheer our spirits. We then took a turn or two round the 
gulf, but not near enough to be seen from the shore. Vera 
Cruz we expected would have made us happy, but the same 
luck still continued ; day follow^ed day, and no sail. The 
dollar bag began to grow a little bulky, for every one had 
lost two or three times, and no one had won : (this was a 
small gambling party entered into by Sir Hyde and ourselves ; 
every one put a dollar into a bag, and fixed on a day when 
we should see a sail, but no two persons were to name the 
same day, and whoever guessed right first was to have the 
Being now tired of our situation, and glad the cruise vras 
almost out, for we found the navigation very dangerous, ow- 
ing to unaccountable currents, we shaped our course for 
Cape Antonio. The next day the man at the mast head, at 
about one o'clock in the afternoon, called out, " A sail upon 
the weather bow ! Ha ! ha ! Mr. Spaniard, I think we have 
you at last. Turn out all hands ! make sail ! All hands give 
chase !" There was scarcely any occasion for this order, for 
the sound of a sail being in sight flew like wuldfire through 
the ship, and every sail was set in an instant, almost before 
