Ghap. L Captain William Funnell I 37 
twelve Oyfters at a time, while the Men on board open 
them. The Meat of this Oyfter is very green, and the 
Oyfter very fat : 1 have eat of this Oyfter feveral times, 
' both boiled and ftewed, and found them to be tolerably 
good. The great Oyfter grows to the Rocks, as other 
Oyfters, not hanging to them by a Beard as the Pearl- 
oyfter : When they are opened, one Part looks of a fine 
Red like a Cherry, the other Part is of a fine White : I 
have often eat of this fort of Oyfter, but it was for want of 
better Viduals : They are fo large, that one of them cut in 
Pieces, and ftewed, is fufficient for a Meal for five or fix 
Men. The Muffels here are fo large, that one of them, 
when dreffed, will fuffice two Men •, and they are tolera- 
ble good Victuals, when ftewed with Pepper and Vinegar: 
And though it may be true, that, in our own Country, 
thefe would fcarce go down ; yet it muft be obferved, that 
our Nicety in Eating is pretty well conquered before any of 
thefe Difhes come to our Tables. 
1 8. We failed from the Middle IJlands on September 23. 
and, on October 7. we were in the Latitude 13 0 7' North, 
where we had Sight of the two high Mountains, com- 
monly, though I think improperly, ftlled the Vulcanoes of 
Guatemala. The firft of thefe, which is the higheft, and 
affords a moft beautiful Profpebf, lies on the North Side of 
the City ; and, in the Year 1534. threw out a Torrent of 
Water, which totally overwhelmed it, and occafioned the 
Building of the new City at three Leagues Diftance. The 
other Mountain, which is properly a Vulcano, lies on the 
South •, and in the rainy Seafons, from April to November , 
rages moft terribly. It fometimes throws out Stones as big 
as a Houfe ; and this, with fuch monftrous Eruptions of 
Flame, that, at the Diftance of fix Miles, in a dark Night, 
you may fee to read a Letter. We took, on the 9th, a 
Bark of about eighty Tons in Ballaft, bound for Rio Leja. 
She had a fmall Quantity of Provisions on board, which 
were very acceptable to us. This Bark was commanded 
by one Captain Chriftian Martin , a Spaniard , born at the 
Canaries , but brought up in London •, he was Servant for- 
merly to Captain Eaton , and came with him into the South 
Seas in Quality of his Gunner ; but, falling out with the 
Men, ran away from them at the Bland Gorgonia , where 
he lay concealed fix Days, till the Ship was gone •, after 
which he cut down two Trees, which he drew to the Wa- 
ter-Ode, and bound them together with Twigs •, fixed a 
Maft ; and, of two Shirts which he had with him, made a 
Sail *, and, having filled a large Bag with Oyfters, which 
he made laft to the Lid two Trees, he, in the Morning 
betimes, put oft from the Bland Gorgonia \ and, in the next 
Day in the Afternoon, got into the River of Bonaventure , 
where he went afhore, and had but ill Ufage from the Spa- 
niards, who fent him to Lima , where he was examined, 
cleared himfelf, and was fet at Liberty. He fpoke very 
good Englijh. We were, at this time, fixty-four Men and 
Boys, all in good Health, and in extreme high Spirits. On 
November 23. we took a fmall Bark, of fixty Tons, from 
California , laden with Plank, but having on board, like- 
wife, feveral Parcels of Pearl that had been fifhed up on that 
Coaft. On December 4. we came into the Bay of Nati- 
vity^ in which we took a new Ship, of the Burden of about 
fixty Tons, laden with Ammunition and military Stores 
for the Ufe of the Acapujco Ship, for which we were cruif- 
ing, and for the Sight of which our People longed as ear- 
neftly, as if there had, been no Difference between feeing 
and taking her ; neither was it long before they had their 
Wifh in one refpeft, tho’ not in another. We took out 
of our Prize as much of the Ammunition as was left ; for 
when they perceived our Defign, the Ship’s Company 
quitted her, having firft thrown over-board the belt Part of 
their Cargo, and left the reft fcattered about in the Utmoft 
Confufion. 
19. Being oft the Vulcano of Colima on December 6 . in 
the Morning, we difcovered a Sail, and foon came up 
with her. This proved to be the great Manilla of Aca- 
pulco Ship, which we had been fo long wifhing to meet 
'with. As we were well provided, we gave her a great 
many Broadfides, before fhe could get any of her Guns 
dear ; for they did not fufpedt us to be an Enemy, and 
were not at all prepared for us. Captain Martin , who was 
then a Prifener on boafd us* adviled to lay her aboard 
Numb. ig„ 
immediately, while they were all in a Htirry, and that this; 
would be the only AY ay to take her ; but if we gave them 
fo much Time, as to get out their great Guns, they would 
certainly beat us to Pieces,, and we fhould lofe an Op- 
portunity of making ourfelves Mafters of the Value of 
fixteen Millions of Pieces of Eight : And accordingly it 
happened ; for Time being delayed in quarrelling between 
thofe of us that would lay her aboard, and thole that would 
not, the Enemy got out a Tier of Guns, and then were 
too hard for us •, fo that we could not lie along her Side 
to do her any confiderable Damage ; for our five Pound 
Shot, which was the biggeft we had, fignified little againft 
fuch a Ship as fire was ; but any of her Shot, which were 
eighteen and twenty-four Pounders, if they happened to 
ftrike us, our Ship, being very much decayed, it would 
drive in a Piece of Plank of three or four Feet : So being 
much damaged, and receiving a Shot particularly from the 
Enemy, betwixt AVind and Water, in our Powder-room, 
by which we had two Foot of Plank driven in on each Side 
the Stern, the Signal was made to ftand off from the 
Enemy. Our Defign being thus difappointed, all our 
Men grew difcontented, and were for going Home, know- 
ing we would do no good in thefe Parts, either for our- 
felves or Owners, having Provifion but for three Months, 
and that very fhort, and our Ship being ready of herfelf to 
fall in Pieces. Our Captain defired our Confent to cruife 
here fix Weeks longer, and then he would permit us to 
go for India y to fome Faftory, where we might all dif- 
pofe of ourfelves as we fhould think moft for our Advan- 
tage. To this we all agreed, and accordingly cruifed along 
Shore to the Eaftward, in Sight of the Land ; and paffed 
by feveral noted Ports, as Acapulco , Port Angels , Port 
GuatulcOy and feveral others. AVe now intended to go in 
Search of a proper Place to water our Ship and Bark, for 
our propofed V oyage to the Eafi Indies *, and, after fome 
Confideration, we fixed upon the Gulf of Amapalla for that 
Purpofe. 
20. January 5. 1705. we met with fuch vaft Quantities 
of Fifh, that, in half an Hour’s time, we caught near 
threefcore Albicores, from fixty to ninety Pounds Weight 
each, befides vaft Quantities of other Fifh. The Albi- 
core is about four or five Feet in Length, weighing from 
50 to 100, and 150 Pound Weight : He hath eleven Fins 
on his*Back, one pretty large one, one middling one, and 
nine fmall yellow ones near the Tail : He hath one large 
Fin on one Side near the Gills, and twelve Fins under his 
Belly ; one on each Side underneath near the Gills, one 
near the Middle of the Belly, and nine fmall yellow Fins 
extending to his Tail. It is a very fieftiy Fifh, having lit- 
tle or no Bones, except the Back-bone** and is extraordi- 
nary good : It is a prodigious ftrong Fifh when in the 
AYater : They prey moftly upon Flying-fifh, as do the 
Dolphins and Bonetoes. On the 6th of this Month, a new 
Revolution happened in our Affairs •, for thirty of our Men 
agreed with Captain Dampier , to remain with him in the 
South Seas, but with what View, or on what Terms) re- 
mained to us, who were not of that Number, an impene- 
trable Secret. Our Company confifted of thirty-three Men 5 
and, notwithstanding what had happened, we failed toge- 
ther, according to our firft Refolution, for the Gulf of 
Amapalla, where we arrived, and anchored on the 26th. 
1 he very fame Day, all the Provifions that were left were 
equally divided amongft us by the Owners Agent ; and we 
had four Pieces of Cannon, with a proper Proportion of 
fmall Arms and Ammunition, aftigned us for our Defence 
in our Voyage. The next Care was to take in Water ; 
and, with this View, we landed on the Ifland of Concha - 
gua ; and, after fome Search, we found behind the Hills a 
large Bottom, in which was a large Plantain-walk, and si- 
great deal of Rain-water that fell from the Mountains* 
This was very inconvenient for us ; becaufe, lying fo be- 
hind the Hills, we knew we muft be forced to carry all 
our Water over a high Hill, which we could hardly climb 
by ourfelves : But feeing there was no Remedy, we firft 
cut down the Bullies, which were in our Way, to make us 
a clear Path ; after which, the Hill being pretty ftfeep on 
the Land-fide towards the Bottom, wherein was the frelh 
Water, we, with our Axes and Shovels, cut out Steps in 
the Hill ; and our Sail-njaker having, in the mean time* 
2 N mad,® 
