I Captain George Shelvocke* 
look after the Negroes we had, who blight not to be trailed 
with the Ship by themfelves, but alfo to bring the Ship 
nearer in, that we might the more expeditioully embark 
what Plunder we might get. Being now afhore, I marched 
up to the great Church without meeting any Oppofition j 
and, indeed, hound the Town intirely deferred by the Inha- 
bitants. At Day-light, we faw great Bodies of Men on the 
Hills on each Side of us, who, I expected, would have paid 
us a Vifit, but found, as we marched up the Hill towards 
them, we drove them before us. All this time, we took no 
Prisoners, except an old Indian and a Boy, who told me. 
Captain Clipper ton had been here, fome time before, to fet 
Prisoners afhore ; who allured them, that he would do 
them no Injury, nor give them any Trouble. But the In- 
habitants, not thinking lit to trull him, had removed their 
Effebls up the Mountains, among!! which was Part of the 
King’s Treafure, amounting to 400,000 Pieces of Eight, 
which would have been a fine Booty, had Captain Clipper- 
ton thought fit to have accepted of it ; fince it is certain, 
he would have met with no more Difficulty in fubduing 
this Place, than I did : But fuddenly, upon hearing a Gun 
fired, I halted ; and. Word being brought me, that the 
Ship was alhore, I hurried off with fome Precipitation, 
carrying with us the Union Flag, which I had caufed to 
be planted in the Church-yard ever fince Sun-rifing. As 
we re-embarked, the Enemy came running down the Hills 
hallowing after us : When I came on board, I found her 
intirely afloat, but within her Breadth of the Rocks ; the 
Water being fmooth, I foon warped her off again after 
which, we returned to take Poffeffion of the Town in the 
manner we had done before, and the Spaniards as peaceably 
retired up the Hills again. But this Accident being hap- 
pily over, the Remainder of the Day was Ipent in fhipping 
off what Plunder we had got, which confided in Hogs, 
Fowls, brown and white Calavances, Beans, Indian Corn, 
Wheat, flour, Sugar, and as much Cocoa-nut, as we 
were able to flow away, with Pans and other Convenien- 
ces for preparing it ; fo that we were fupplied with Break- 
fall-meat for the whole Voyage, and full of Provifions of 
one kind or other. In the Afternoon, there came a Mef- 
fenger to know what I would take for the Ranfom of the 
P own and Ship ; to which I anfwered, that I would have 
10,000 Pieces of Eight, and thofe to be paid within twen- 
ty-four Flours, if he intended to fave the Town, or Ship 
either. At eight, the next Morning, I received a Letter 
from the Governor, fignifying, that, as I wrote in French , 
neither he, nor any about him, could underhand the Con- 
tents ; but, if I would let him know my Demands in Latin 
or Spani/b, I fhould not fail of a fatisfaflory Anfwer. In the 
Afternoon, I fent one of the Quarter-deck Guns alhore ; 
whicn, being mounted at our Guard, was fired at Sun-fet, 
Midnight, and Break of Day. The next Morning early 
the Meffenger returned, and brought with him the Captain 
of the Ship I had taken •, and, as foon as I had heard of 
their Arrival, I went on fhore to know what they had to 
propofe. I very foon underftood from them, that the Go- 
nernor was determined not to ranfom the Town at all 
Events ; and that he did not care what I did to it, provided 
the Churches were not burnt : To which I anfwered, that 
I fhould have no Regard to Churches, or any thing elle, 
when I fet the Town on Fire ; though, in fad, I never 
defigned to deftroy any Place confecrated to Divine Wor- 
ffiip. As for the Captain of the Veil el, I told him plainly, 
that, if he did not ranfom her immediately, he might exped 
£0 fee her in Flames. This feemed to make as great an 
Impreffion upon him as I defired * and he promifed, in 
three Hours time, to be down with the Money. As foon 
as I had given thefe People the Hearing, I caufed every 
thing to be taken out of the Town that could be of any 
Ule to us •, and, when this was done, I ordered it to be 
let on * ire in two or three Places at once ; and, as the 
H pules were old and dry, the Place became a Bonfire in- 
i antiy. In the midft of this Conflagration, the People on 
board my Snip made continual Signals for me to come on 
board, and Kept firing perpetually towards the Mouth of 
the Harbour. As I could only gnefs, from thefe Appear- 
ances, that fomething extraordinary had happened, the foie 
Meafure left for me to take, was to get on board as foon as 
IN U M B. 15.. 
I could, which accordingly I did^ in a Canoe, with on If 
three Men aboard with me. 
14. It was evident enough to me, before I reached my Ship, 
what had thrown my People into fuch a Panic ; for I faw 
a large Ship lying, with her Fore-top-fail a-back, with her 
Spanijh Flag flying at her Top -mail-head ; at which Sight 
two of my three Men were ready to faint ; and, if it had 
not been for my Boatfwain, I doubt whether I fliould have 
got on board the Ship. When I looked back to the Town, 
I could not help wi firing I had not been fo hafty, fince, had 
the Spanijh Admiral aSed with Vigour, he had taken the 
Ship long enough before I could have gotten on board. In 
Juftice to Mr. Coldfea the Mailer, I mull obferve, that he 
fired fo fmartly on the Spaniard as he came in, that he put 
him upon taking thofe Precautions, which, had he known 
our Strength, were very unneceffary ; and, as this took up 
Time, it gave me an Opportunity of coming on board, In 
the mean time, my Officers alhore were fo unwilling to 
leave behind them a Gun we had mounted in the Town, 
that they fpent fo great a Space in getting into the Boat, 
that I began to be much afraid the Enemy Would have 
attacked us, before the Launch could have rowed aboard. 
But he was not in fuch an Hurry, thinking that I could not 
well pafs by him, and therefore fuffer’d my Men to come 
off, who were about fifty in Number ; but was within lefs 
than Piftol-fihot of us, before they had all got into the Ship. 
Upon which, we cut our Cable, and, our Ship falling the 
wrong Way, I had but juft Room enough to fall clear of 
him. Being now clofe by one another, his formidable Ap- 
pearance ftruck an univerfal Damp on every one’s Spirits, 
Some of my People, in corning off, were for jumping into 
the Water, and fwimming affiore, as fome actually did 5 
But now, when they faw a fine Europe - built Ship of fifty 
Guns, the Difproportion was fo great between us, that there 
could be no Hopes of efcaping him, being under his Lee. 
I endeavoured to get into ffiole Water ; but he becalmed 
and confined me for the greateft Part of stn Hour, handling 
me very roughly with his Cannon ; but made little Ufe of 
Small-arms. He never had Patience to let us be quiet along 
his Side ; but, whenever he was ready with his Fire, he 
gave his Ship the Starboard-helm, to bring as many of his 
Guns as he could to bear on us, and, at the fame time, kept 
me out of the true Wind. We made the brilkeft Returns 
we could ; but the Misfortune was, that, in the precipitate 
Confufion in getting off from the Town, moll of our Small- 
arms were wet ; fo that it was late before they were of any 
Ufe. There was, during this, a confufed Scene afhore, of 
the Town on Fire, and the People, who had flocked down 
the Hills to extinguilh it, fome of whom anfwered the End 
of their coming, whilft others were employed in beholding 
the Engagement. I was long in Defpair of getting away 
from the Spaniard , and could forefee nothing, but that we 
fhould be torn in Pieces by him, unlefs we had an Oppor- 
tunity of trying our Heels with him whilft our Malls were 
Handing. I expe&ed every Minute they would board us ; 
and, upon hearing an Hallowing amongft them, and their 
Forecaftle full of Men, I concluded they had come to a Re- 
folution of entering us : But I prefently faw the Occafion of 
thefe Acclamations was, their having Ihot down our Enfign- 
ftaff, upon which they were in hopes we had ftruck ; but I 
foon undeceived them, by fpreading a new Enfign on the 
Mizen-fhrowds *, upon Sight of which, they lay as fnug as 
before, and held their Way clofe on our Quarter. Intend- 
ing at laft to do our Bufinefs at once, they clapped their 
Helm a-ftarboard, in order to bring their whole Broadfide 
to point on us ; but their Fire had very little Effe£t, and it 
muzzled themfelves ; which gave us an Opportunity of get- 
ting away from them. This was certainly a lucky Efcape, 
after an Engagement for about three Glaffes with an Enemy 
fo much fuperior j lor lie had fifty-fix Guns, we but twenty 
mounted ; they had 450 Men, we, on our Part, did not 
exceed feventy -three, and eleven Negroes and two Indians 
included in that Number : Fie had further this vaft Odds 
over us, of being in a fettled Readinefs, whilft we were in 
the utmoft Diftradlion. Add to all this, our Small-arms 
being ufelefs, by being wet*, and, in the Middle of the 
Engagement, One-third of my People, inftead of fighting, 
were hard at Work to make a further Preparation for an 
3 ^ . obftinate 
