Chap. I. Capt. 
am 
EORGE 
ELVOCKE. 
Such was the Pafs they had now brought themfelves to ; 
for, by finking my Authority, they had abfolutely left 
their own, and were even in a worfe Situation than I inaf- 
much as the Crew, for their own fakes, Were obliged to able Cargo, Such was my Difcourfe with Mr. Davifon , 
have recourfe to me upon all Emergencies, obeying me when a Gale fprung' up, which interrupted us, and I bore 
punctually while thofe lafted, and abiding me plentifully as down upon the Succefs, and went on board of her. I 
foon as they were over. gave Captai \\ Clipperton, and Mr .Godfrey, the Agent Ge 
of Calao , they fell in with th Flying- fijh 7 a Frigate, which 
by unpardonable Miftnanagement on the Part of Clipperton , 
got fate from them, although deeply laden with a valur 
able Carso, 
22. 
On the 25th of January in the Morning, we dif- 
neral, the whole Hiftory of my Voyage hitherto, and 
covered a Sail about two Leagues to the Leeward : We expected that I fhould have been treated by them as one 
gave them Chace till fuch time as we difeovered they were belonging to the fame Intereft, but found I was nuftaken 1 
Europe built ; and then, fearing fhe might be one of the for they were unwilling to have any thing to do with me. 
Enemies Men of War, I clapped on a Wind, and in half fince my Ship was. loft. However, I conceived, he would 
an Hour it fell calm. We foon after faw a Boat rowing not be fo inhuman as to deny me the Supply of fuch Ne- 
towards us, which proved the Pinnace of our Confort the ceffaries as I wanted, and he could conveniently fpare. 
Succefs, commanded by their firft Lieutenant Mr. Davifon. The Anfwer was, That I fhould know more of his Mind 
This Interview amazed us both-, he was furprifed to find the next Day. Amongft other Difcourfe, he told me, that 
he was juft come from the Land of Cocos that his People 
were fickly, and at very fhort Allowance : Whereupon I 
offered my Service to pilot him to Mariato , which was 
not above thirty Leagues diftant from us, where he might 
have refreflied his Company, and fupplied himfelf with 
what he would. But this was not accepted, he being 
refolved to make the beft of his Way to the Eres Marias 9 
where he faid there was Turtle enough to be had ; fo I 
left him for that Night. The next Morning, as I was 
going on board of him again, with fome of my Officers, 
no 
lefs at finding him 
in 
me in fuch a Condition, and I 
thofe Seas. I entertained him with a Rehearfal of our 
Misfortunes, which had happened in the long Interval, 
fmee we were feparated near the Coaft of England , till our 
prefent Meeting ; and he, on his Part, entertained me 
with remarkable Incidents which had fallen out with them ; 
particularly, that about a Twelvemonth before they had 
taken a new French Brigantine, and put their Officers and 
Ship’s Company’s Plunder on board of her, which they 
valued at 10,000 Pounds Sterling that their feconcl Cap- _ _ 
tain Mr. Mitchell was intruded with the Command of her, he at once fpread all his Canvas, and crouded away from 
and was ordered to go with her to fome Ifland on the us who were in the Boat upon which I returned to our 
Coaft of Mexico , and there to flay till Captain Clipperton Ship again, and made Signals of Diftrefs, and fired our 
joined him with his Ship ; but that they never could find Gun feveral times, which was not regarded by him, till 
the Hand fince, and therefore judged, that poor Mitchell , his very Officers exclaimed at his Barbarity, and at laft he 
and his Men, were either ftarved, or murdered by the brought-to. When I had failed up with him, I fent Mr, 
Spaniards or Indians , who are very dexterous at that kind Brooks , firft Lieutenant, to know the Reafon of his abrupt 
of Work, or that he had perifhed with the Hand, which Departure, and to tell him, that we flood in need of 
Captain Clipperton , and fome others, were of Opinion was feveral Neceffaries, which I would purchafe of him : Upon 
funk, fince by all their Endeavours, they could not find it thefe Terms he {pared me two of his Quarter-deck Guns, 
out. Startled at fo improbable a Conjecture, Mr. Davifon fixty round Shot, fome Mufquet-balls and Flints, and a 
continued, that I need not be furprifed at it, fince fuch Sub- Spanijh Chart of the Coaft of Mexico , and Part of India 
merfions were very common on the Coafts ; and began to and China, an half Hour and an half Minute Glafs, a 
tell me of a dreadful Inftance of it on the Coaft of Pm/, Compafs, and about 300 Weight of Salt , but, all the 
which had happened a little before ; for, fays he, my Cap- Arguments I could ufe, could not perfuade him to fpare 
tain, having a Defire to look into the Road of Cheripe , us the leaft thing out of his Surgeon’s Cheft for the Relief 
when we arrived there, we found the Town, and a great of Mr. Coldfea , our Mafter, who was ftili very ill of his 
Part of the Land, which formed the Road, intirely under 
Water but, I undeceived him in this, by telling him, 
how lately we had feen that very Place. The Truth of it 
is, that Captain Clipperton , though he was reputed to be 
well skilled in this Navigation, was always unfortunate in 
finding out any Port, &c. and, left his continual Blunders 
Wounds received in the Engagement with the Mar gar eta , 
about three Months before. We returned, for what we 
had of him, fome Bales of coarfe Broad-cloth, as much 
Pitch and Tar as he would have, fome Pigs of Copper, 
and I gave him a large filver Ladle for a dozen of Spadoes, 
When this was concluded, I asked him if I could be of any 
fhould be imputed to his Ignorance, he always found out Service to him; and allured him, that I had a pretty good 
fome Expedient to evade any Sufpicion of his Inability. Ship under Foor, though fhe made but a poor Figure; and 
The Story of Captain Mitchell , who was a very worthy believed that I could hold him Way, and that he knew that: 
Man, and an expert Sailor, is, in all its Circumftances, 
very tragical ; there was always a Jealcufy between him 
and his Captain, who ordered him to a Place (and pre- 
tended to give him infallible Directions to find it) which 
never could be found afterwards, and, it is my Opinion, 
never was above Water ; and the unfortunate Gentleman, 
without doubt, perifhed in fome obfeure miferable Manner, 
our Cargo was pretty valuable. To which he anfwered. 
That, if I had a Cargo of Gold, he had no Bufinefs with, 
me ; and that I muft take care of myfelf. Mr. Hendry the. 
Agent, Mr. Rainer , and Mr. Dodd , Lieutenants of Ma* 
rines, feeing but little ProfpeCt, that we fhould ever get 
Home, .and being weary of the hard Work that was im* 
pofed on them, defired I would let them go on board the 
in the Queft of a Place that was never yet, and perhaps Succefs for a Paffage to England ; which I having confented 
never will be, difeovered. In our Lifcourfe, I asked Mr. to, they went on board accordingly, and Clipperton left us 
Davifon the Value of their Booty, who affured me, that it to ffiift for ourfelves near the Hand of Cano, Having this 
did not exceed 70,000 Dollars, but that they had loft great Supply, I was for going to the Southward into the Bay of 
Opportunities: That in Oliober 1720. they were in the Panama , to try our Fortunes there ; but the Majority op- 
were in 
Bay of Conception , and had the Misfortune of leaving 
three laden Ships behind them, and miffed a fourth, that 
was coming into the Bay, which was fo near as to hail 
them, talk to them, and was becalmed by them ; and 
that, though it was probable, that their Launch would 
have taken them all four 
pofed me through Fear, and were for 
Marias-, to fait Turtle there, and then ftretch 
going to 
the E ref 
over for 
yet, 
Deafhefs to Advice, they took none of them ; and that, 
moreover, they had never cleaned their Bottom, notwith- 
{landing they had it feveral times in their Power to do 
it ; and that this Negligence had like to have coft them 
dear; for, in their Return from Conception, they looked' 
into Coqiiiwbo, where they faw five Ships at Anchor, three 
of which let flip after them, and neared them apace ; but, 
by the Favour . of -thick Weather, and a hard Gale of Wind, 
they got dear of them ; And further, that off the Port of 
We directed our Courfe thither, but the Wind 
near the Land continued reigning in the FVeftern Board 5 
and the Coaft , of Mexico lying neareft North-weft by 
through their Captain’s Weft, and South-calf by Faff, we crept to Windward, but 
very flowly, and -at fo tedious a Rate, that we began again 
to be very fhort of Provifions before we had got the 
Length pf Rio Lejo ; which renewed our Defign of landing 
there, which had been laid afide on our Supply got at 
Mariato. But this Intention was no fooner relumed, than 
fruftrated ; for we were blown paft it by a Eegoantepaqiie , 
Spaniards on this Coaft call a violent Gale at 
for fo the 
North-'edk 
