Chap. I. 
Captain George S h e l v ocke, 
Feather-bed ; which, as it proved a very hard one, die wed 
his great Indifference as to the Fate of the Ship. An- 
other thing Captain Betagh infills peremptorily upon, is 
this \ That, by the Change of Circumftances, Captain 
Shelvocke was lo far from lofliig, that he was a very con- 
fiderable Gainer ; and this he demonftrates in the follow- 
ing manner : According to the original Articles, half the 
Value of every Prize was to be fet afide for the Owners* 
and the remaining Part divided into Shares, in Proportion 
to the whole Ship’s Company, which made them 650 
out of which the Captain was to have fixty * Captain 
Hatley , as fecond Captain, thirty ; Captain Betagh , of the 
Marines, twenty ; and fo on from the Alteration of Cir- 
eumftances, the leffening the Number of the Ship’s Com- 
pany, and the Reduction of the Officers that flill furvived, 
there were now lefs than fifty-two Shares * out of which the 
Captain was to have fix, according to the new Regulation. 
This, I fay, is Captain Betagh’s manner of demonftrating 
this Propolition ; but, upon confidering it attentively, I 
think an Example will make it much clearer. I will fup 1 - 
pofe a Spanijh Prize taken of the Value of fix hundred and 
fifty Pounds Sterling-, then half of it belonging to the 
Owners, the Shares are plainly worth ten Shillings apiece, 
confequently, the Captain’s fixty Shares come to thirty 
Pounds: But, according to the new Rule of dividing, each 
Share would be worth twelve Pounds ten Shillings and, 
therefore, the Captain's fix Shares were worth feventy-five 
Pounds. As to the getting Poffeffion of the Arms, Cap- 
tain Betagh gives a very ftrange Account of it for he 
fays, that Captain Shelvocke , for certain Realons, cele- 
brated the 10th of June as aFeftival; and that the Men 
having got the Arms, with his Confent, to fire Voliics 
upon that Occafion, they abfolutely refufed to part with 
them. But, according to Captain Shelvocke ' s Relation, 
this muff have happened long after the ioth of June, fince 
it was the eighth before their Bark was put upon the 
Stocks, which gave Occafion to all the fubfequent Difputes. 
It is impoffible to fay any thing as to the Merits of this 
Caufe, fince there are pofitive Affertions on both Sides, 
and no abfolute Evidence, or authentic Proof, on either * 
fo that all I can do is, to report the Facts fairly, as both 
Sides have Rated them * which having done, I return to 
the Captain’s Relation, 
17. On the 1,5th o f Align ft, the Sight of a large Ship 
at Sea put us into the utmoft Confufion. Before he crofted 
the Bay, I ordered the Fires to be put out, and confined 
the Negroes and Indians, left: the Ship ffiould be becalmed 
under the Land, and any of them ffiould attempt fwim- 
ming oft to her. I conceived it impoffible, that ffie ffiould 
be a Man of War, which, having Advice of our being loft, 
came to fee)c us 9 yet I knew, if ffie difeovered what we 
were about, and the Wreck on the Shore* we ffiould foon 
have the whole Force of the Kingdom of Chili upon us. 
I was not long under thefe Apprehenfions 9 for fhe kept 
away large, and at too great a Diftance to perceive any 
thing of us. On this Occafion I got moft of the People 
under Arms, and was .glad to fee fo many of them, in 
fome meafure, obedient to my Command. I, upon this* 
told them, I was pleafed to fee their Arms in luch good 
Order : To which they anfwered impertinently. That it 
was for their own Sakes. But, before they were difperfed, 
I told them, that the Neceftity of our Affairs was fuch, 
that it required every one to give their Affiftance, and ufe 
their belt Endeavours, to get the Bark afloat, inftead of 
caballing againft their Captain, which would in the End be 
highly prejudicial 9 that, if we were difeovered, all Hopes 
would be gone, and we could reafonably expect no other* 
than to be Slaves in fome of the Mines 9 that we had flill 
a great de^i of Work, and never above ten of the more 
(Confiderate, and commonly but fix or feven, who attended 
it ; and that, (as they knew) to ffiew an Example, 1 was 
always one of the Number. But they were fo obftinate, 
and fo wilfully infenfible of the impendent Deftrudion 
winch was likely to fall upon us, that the more I made ufe 
of Reafon to reclaim them, the more I remonftrated to 
them the ill wonfequences that would attend their continual 
i Iimmes, anti the more I encouraged them by future Pro- 
ipeCtsof Advantage, the more they ran into a confufed Dif 
traction and Interruption of any thing that might be of Ser- 
vice to them in any refpeft. The next Day they divided 
amongft themfelves, upon thisQueftion, Whether the Bark 
ffiould be carried on, or whether they ffiould build two 
large Shallops, and fet what was done of the Bark on Fire. 
The Favourers of this new Defign, who Were headed by 
Morphew , and his Friend, aimed at a Separation by this 
Means, and did not doubt they ffiould have their Ends, 
confidering the great Influence they had aS yet had over 
their F’ellow-fufferers 9 but, as this muft be carried by a 
Majority of Votes, according to their own Articles, they 
affembled before my Tent to debate this Matter 9 which 
they did in a noify clamorous Manner on both Sides. But, 
in order to come to a Conclufion* I pofitively affured them* 
that Boats would be impracticable * becaufe our Tools, 
and Materials too, were almoft worn out and gone 9 there- 
fore it was in vain for them to difpute about it. The 
Workmen, and a confiderable Majority of the reft, fided 
with me in the Behalf of the Bark 9 but, at Night, the 
Carpenter ftnt me Word, that if I did not deliver him the 
Money agreed at the Beginning, notwithftanding the 
Terms for the Payment of it were not executed, I ffiould not 
fee his Face again fo I was obliged to raife the Money for 
him. The moft provoking Part of this Propofal was, 
that the Fellows who took upon them to harangue and 
ltickle firft, were thofe who h'ad never done an Hour’s 
Work fince we had been call away 9 but, not gaining their 
Point, they openly declared I fliould not be their Captain* 
and that none but Brooks ffiould be their Commander j 
Which was (perhaps) what that young Man afpired to, 
and had long expected, if one may draw reafonacle Con- 
clufions from his Deportment to me 9 and he, undoubtedly* 
might have been their Commander, had it not been for 
the People of the Boatlwain’s Tent, who, although they 
were fond of thinking themfelves their own Mafters, and 
would hot fubrnit to regular Command, yet had that 
Refpect left, as not to give their Confents, that I ffiould be 
left on the Iftand. I muft own, that it was a thing very in- 
different to me, had I not thought, that I acquitted myfelf of 
my Duty, in doing what in me lay, to hinder fo many of 
his Majefty’s Subjects, ehtrufted under my Care, from 
becoming Vagabonds. To complete our Divifions, there 
arofe a third Party, who refolved to have nothings do 
with the other two, purposing to ftay on the I Hand. 
Thefe were to the Number of twelve, who had feparated 
from the reft, and never appeared, except in the Night* 
when they ufed to come about our Tents to ideal Powder, 
Lead, and Axes, and, in ffiort, whatever elfe they could lay 
their Hands on. But in a little time I found means to manage 
them, and took all their Arms, Ammunition, and the reft of 
their Plunder from them 9 and threatened, that, if they were 
found Within Mufquet-fhot of our Works or Tents, thev 
ffiould be treated, as Enemies. A little afterwards, thefe 
Divifions fo weakened the Power of the whole Body, that 
by degrees they began to liften to what I faid and I pre- 
vailed fo far, as to get moft of them in a working Hu- 
moun Mr. Brooks came now with a feigned Submiffion, 
to defire he might eat with me again 9 but, in the main, 
did not leffen his Efteem for Morphevo : However, his Dif- 
fimulation proved of lingular Service, in contributing to 
the finifhing the Bark, which claimed the Affiftance of all 
bur Heads and Elands for, when we came to plank the 
Bottom, we had very vexatious Difficulties to encounter 
with lor, having no Plank, except Pieces of the Wreck’s 
Deck, we found it fo dry and ftubborn, that Fire and 
Water had hardly any Effect in making it pliable* and fit 
for Ufe 9 it rent, and fplit, and flew* like Glafs fo that 
now I had fubftantial Reafons to believe* that all our La- 
bour Was vain, and that we muft quietly fit down with the 
d i fa gre cable Hopes ol being taken off by fome Spanifij 
Ship fome time or other, and, after all our Troubles, be 
led to a Prifon to reflect on our paft Misfortunes : How- 
ever, by conftant Labour, and Variety of Contrivances, 
We in the End patched her up, in fuch a manner, that, I 
dare fay* the like was never feen 9 and I may fafely affirm* 
that fuch a Bottom never fwarn oh the Surface of the Sea 
before. September the 9 th? die Boat that I have already 
mentioned to be begun by the Armourer* was launched 5 
and, being noW in a way of completing our Bark, there 
yet remained unccnftdeted* and Undetermined* what Pro- 
vifions we could get to fupport us in our Voyage : This 
was as neceffary to be looked into, as the fin i flung our Em- 
3 ^ barkanon. 
