/• 
Chap. L Captain Woodes Rogers. 17I 
we came to an Anchor, and received the Compliments of all 
on board the Marquis*, on our fudderi and unexpected Sne- 
eds, and which afforded us no final! Satisfaction : We found 
that Ship in good Condition, ready to fail., and all the Men 
on board her very brifk, and eager for ACtiom At eight 
in the Evening, we had a Confutation on the two great 
Points *, firft, what fhouid be done with the Hoftages , and, 
next, how we fhouid a£t with refpeCt to the other Manilla 
Ship, which we thought there Was at leaft a great Proba- 
bility of our taking, if we could remain here a little longer. 
We agreed that it would be beft, fince we had good Rea- 
son to believe the Hoftages from Guiaquil, and the Com- 
mander of the Manilla Ship, who was a French Gentle- 
man, viz. the Chevalier Jean Pichherti , Brother to the 
famous Mr. du Cafs , to be Men of ftrict Honour, to 
make the beft Terms poffible, and then fet them at Liberty. 
As to the other, we met with greater Difficulty. I was 
very defirous of going out with the Duchefs to cruife for 
the other Manilla Ship *, but there having been fome Re- 
flections caft, on account of the Duchefs not engaging our 
laft Prize fo foon as it was thought fhe might have done, 
Captain Courtney was abfolutely bent on going Out with the 
Marquis and the Officers of both Ships voting for this in 
the Committee, my Propofal was over-ruled, arid we were 
forced to ftay in the Harbour againft our Will. It was, 
however, agreed, that we fhouid put ten of our beft Hands 
on board the Duchefs , that fhe might be the better able to 
attack the Acapulco Ship, if we faw her , and, on Chrifimas - 
eve, fhe and the Marquis failed. As foon as they were 
gone, we put Part of the Goods aboard the Bark into the 
Prize, in order to fend away our Prifoners. The Agree- 
ment we made with them was this : As there were ftill 4000 
Pieces of Eight due for the Ranfom of Guiaquil , we 
agreed to fell them the Bark and Cargo for 2000 more * 
and to take the Chevalier Pichherti Bills, payable in Lon- 
don^ for the round Sum of 6000 Pieces of Eight ; which 
he very readily gave us, and an Acknowledgment under 
his Hand, that he thought it a good Bargaih. When this 
was fettled, we had nothing to look to but our own Secu- 
rity, during the fmall time that our Conforts were cruifingi 
and for this we made the moft prudent Difpofition we 
could. 
32. On Chriftmas-day We polled two (Sentinels on the 
Top of an Hill, from whence they had a fair View of the 
Sea, with InftruCtions, whenever they faw three Sail 
of Ships in the Offing, to make three Wafts with their 
Colours, that we might have Time enough to fecure our 
Prifoners, and to get out to the Relief of oUr Conforts § 
which indeed we expeCted, as having certain Intelligence, 
that this was a much ftronger Ship than the other, better 
manned, and better provided in all refpeCts ; fo that, if fhe 
was carried, it muft prove very hot Work on both Sides, 
for which we were to prepare. On the 26th, in the Af- 
ternoon, the Gentries made three Wafts, and We imme- 
diately fent the Yawl to them for better Satisfaction, and 
found there were three Sail out at Sea : Upon which we 
inftantly put all the Prifoners aboard the Bark, taking 
away her Sails, and fetched our Men aboard, leaving only 
twenty-two Hands belonging to us aboard the Prize, to 
keep, affift, and look after them. The Prifoners, who were 
about 1 70, being fecured aboard our Bark without Arms, 
Rudders, Sails, or a Boat, and moored near a Mile from 
our Prize, a few more of our Men than was fufficient to 
give them Victuals and Drink, might have guarded them 
very fafely •, yet, for the more Security, we left a Lieute- 
nant of each Ship, and the above Men well armed, aboard 
our Prize, and immediately weighed, in order to go and af- 
fift our Conforts to attack the great Ship, when fhe came 
in Sight. Captain Dover thought fit to go on board the 
Prize, and exchange Pofts with one of the Lieutenants 
that guarded the Prifoners, and fent him to us in his ftead. 
I was in fo weak a Condition, and my Head and Throat 
fo much fwelled, that I yet fpake in great Pain, and not 
loud enough to be heard at any Diftance ; fo that all the reft 
of the chief Officers, and our Surgeons, would have per- 
fuaded me to ftay in the Harbour in Safety aboard our 
Prize. We weighed our Anchors, and got under Sail at 
ieven a Clock •, we faw Lights feveral times in the Night, 
which we took to be our Conforts Boats making falfe Fires. 
3 
In the Morning, at Day-break, we faw three Sail to Wind ] 
ward of us-, but were fo far diftant, that we could not 
make which were our Conforts, and which the Chace, till 
about nine a Clock, when we faw the Duchefs and Chace 
near together, and the Marquis Handing to them With all 
the Sail fhe could croud. We made what Sail we could, 
but were to Leeward of them three or four Leagues, and, 
having a fcant Wind, made little Way; At Noon, they 
bore South-eaft of us, being right to Windward about three 
Leagues. In the Afternoon, we faw the Marquis cotne up 
with the Chace, and engage her pretty brifkly 5 but foon 
fell to Leeward out of CannOn-ffiot, and lay a confidera- 
ble time, which made ns think fhe was fome way or other 
di fabled* I ordered the Pinnace to be manned, and fent 
away to her •, and, if what we fufpeded proved true, and 
we had no Wind to get Up With them before Night, out 
Boat might dog the Chace with Signals till the Morning, 
that fhe might not efcape us, and the other Ships , but, be- 
fore the Boat could get up With them, the Marquis made 
Sail, and came up with the Chace , and both went to it 
again brifkly for four Glaffes and upwards^ Then the Ship, 
which we took to be the Duchefs , fteered a~head to Wind- 
ward of the Enemy, I fuppofe to fix her Rigging, or ftop 
her Leaks. Meanwhile the other Ship kept her in Play, till 
fhe bore doWn again $ and each, firing a Broadfide or two, 
left off, becaufe ’twas datk. They then bore South of us, 
which was right in the Wind’s Eye, diftant about two 
Leagues : By Midnight we Were pretty well up With them, 
and our Boat came aboard, having made falfe Fires, which 
We anfwered. They had been aboard the Duchefs , and the 
Marquis ; and told me, the former had her Fore-maft much 
difabled, and the Ring of an Anchor fhot away, with fe- 
Veral Men wounded, and one killed, having received a 
Shot in the Powder-room, and feveral in their upper 
Works, but all ftopt : They engaged the Ship by them- 
felves the Night before, which was what we took to be the 
Boats Lights, being out of the Hearing of the Guns. At 
that time they could perceive the Enemy was in Diforder, 
her Guns not being all mounted, and confequently their 
Netting-deck and Clofe-quarters unprovided , fb that had 
it been my good Fortune, in the Duke, to accompany the 
Duchefs , as I defired, we all believed We might then haVe 
carried this great Ship , or if they, in the Duchefs , had 
thought of taking moft of the Men out of the Marquis , 
who did not fail well enough to come up to their Affiftance 
at firft, they alone, very probably, might have taken her, 
by boarding at once, before the Spaniards had experienced 
our Strength, being afterwards fo well provided, as encou- 
raged them to lie driving, and give us all Opportunity to 
board them when we pleafed. Captain Cooke fent me W ord, 
that the Marquis had fired near all her Shot and Powder , 
but had efcaped very well, both in Mails, Rigging, and 
Men. I fent our Boat with three Barrels of Powder, and 
Shot in Proportion, and Lieutenant Fry, to confult our 
Conforts how to engage the Enemy to the beft Advantage 
at Break of Day. The Chace had made Signals to our 
Ship all the Day and Night, beeaufe fhe took us for her 
Confort, which we had in Poffeffion ; and, after it was dark, 
had edged away to us *, otherwife I ffiould not have been up 
with her, having very little Wind, and that againft us. In 
the Morning, as foon as it was Day, the Wind veering at 
once, put our Ship about, and the Chace fired firft upon the 
Duchefs, who, by means of the Wind’s veering, Was neareft 
the Enemy , fhe returned it fmartly •, we flood as near as 
poffible, firing as our Guns came to bear : But the Duchefs 
being by this time thwart the Haws, and firing very faff, 
thofe Shot that miffed the Enemy, flew from the Duchefs 
over us, and betwixt our Mails , fo that we ran the Rifque 
of receiving more Damage from them, than from the 
Enemy, if we had lain on her Quarters, and crofs her Stern, 
as I defigned, while the Enemy lay driving there : This 
forced us to lie along-fide, clofe aboard her, where we 
kept firing Rourid-ftiot, and did not load with any Bar or 
Partridge, becaufe the Ship’sSides were too thick to receive 
any Damage by it , and, no Men appearing in Sight, m 
would have been a Clog to the Force of our Round-fhot. 
33. We kept clofe aboard her, and drove as fhe did, as 
near as poffible ; The Enemy kept to their Clofe-quarters 5 
fo 'that we did hot fire our fmall Arms, till we faw a- Man: 
appear,, 
