2,26 The V O Y 
their Fire upon every Board we made, without making 
them the leaf!: Return, and their Boat was employed to 
tranfport Soldiers from the Shore to the Ship. They 
hoiked a Jar, of about ten Gallons of Powder and Match, 
at each Main and Fore-yard-arms, and Bowfprit-end, to 
let fall on our Decks, if we boarded them ; which Con- 
trivance, if it had taken Effect, would have foon made an 
End of both Ships, and thofe that were in them. Seeing 
them fo defperate in their Preparations to receive us, I 
could not but expeft a warm Difpute ; but, as our Cafe 
would not admit any Negleft of what offered, though at 
ever fo hazardous a Rate, their Contrivances for Defence 
did not much difmay us. About eleven in the Morning 
the Sea-breeze came in; and, that I might make our 
fmall Force the molt beneficial to us, I ordered our three 
Guns to be brought over on the Side we were like to engage 
them ; and, being within lefs than Mufquet-fhot, difcharged 
them : The Sea-breeze frefhing ran us upon them very faff, 
whilft our Small-arms were effectually employed to break 
the Powder-jars before we actually boarded them ; which 
we did without Delay ; and, after the Exchange of a few 
Shot, when aboard of each other, they fubmitted. This 
Ship was called the Sacra Familia , of three hundred Tons, 
fix Guns, and feventy Men. She had a great Number of 
Small-arms, Grenade-fhelis, and Shot ; they had been for 
fome time before arrived from Calao , with Wine and 
Brandy ; but had now nothing in her but fifty Jars of Gum 
powder, a fmall Parcel of Rufk, and jerked Beef: In 
Ihort, foe could hardly be faid to be worth the Trouble we 
took, or the Rifque we ran ; but fhe having the Cha- 
racter of being a better Sailor, and vifibly better fitted 
than ours, I changed Ships, and we all went on board our 
Prize, which had been equipped in the warlike Manner we 
found her, and commiffioned on Purpofe to take us, if fhe 
fhould chance to meet us in her Way. Our Small-arms 
(to do Juftice to my People) were handled with the 
greateft Dexterity ; but, being employed moftly in Blat- 
tering the Powder-jars, that the combuflible Matter in 
them might fall into the W ater, there was none killed but 
the Boatfwain, and only one Tightly wounded ; but, if 
our Small-arms had not been fo ufefully diverted, there 
could not have failed of being a confiderable Slaughter 
amongft them ; on our part, we did not receive the leak 
Damage. The Merchant we had taken in this Action, 
feemed to be inclinable to purchafe the Jefus Maria, which 
we had quitted ; and, when he heard, that her Cargo con- 
fided of Pitch, Tar, and Copper, he immediately con- 
fented to my Demand, and went afhore to raifetheSum. 
We had fo little Provifions to fpare, that we could not 
afford to keep any Prifoners in Poffeffion ; and therefore 
difmiffed all the Whites, Indians , &c. detaining only the 
Negroes •, and, that we might lofe as little Time as poffible, 
we fet immediately to work, to over-haul our Rigging and 
Sails, that we might get our Ship ready for the Sea : But 
J was interrupted in this, by a Letter which came from the 
Governor of the Place in the Evening, which none of us 
could underftand : But, by the Meffenger that brought it, 
we found it was fome Account of a Truce on foot between 
the Crowns of Great Britain and Spain ; and that the Go- 
vernor requeked me to kay five Days, that he might 
thoroughly fatisfy me in it, by fhewing me the Articles of 
Accommodation. I thought this very odd ; and told the 
Spanijh Gentleman, that it was not a peaceable or friendly 
Reception I met withal ; and asked, how they came to arm 
themfelves in fo defperate a Manner, and why the Governor 
did not chufe to fend a Flag of Truce to me with this In- 
formation, before we engaged, having the whole Morning 
beforehand ; and why thefe Articles were not on board the 
Ship, flie coming from Lima , from whence they faid they 
received thefe Papers : And proceeded to tell him, that it 
was very krange to me, that none of the Officers we had 
taken Prifoners, fhould know any thing of the Matter : But 
that, notwithkauding all this, I had fuch a Regard for the 
very Name of Peace, that I would kay fifteen Days, if the 
Governor would fupply us with Water and Provifions; and 
that, if he did not, I could not pretend to make above 
Twenty-four Hours kay here. I fent him alfo a fhort 
Anfwer to his Letter, excufing myfelf, on account of pur 
underhanding Spanijh but indifferently ; in which I told him. 
AGE S of Book!. 
that if, as he Tuggehed, there was a Peace concluded be- 
tween their Britannic and Catholic Majefties, I was ready, 
on due Proof, to aft as he expefted ; but, in the mean 
time, I hoped, that as we were now Friends, he would 
permit me to have fuch fmall Refrefhments as we wanted 
from his Port. The Governor, upon the Receipt of my 
Letter, expreffed great Satisfaction, and feemed to make 
no Difficulty of granting my Requeft. Gur Boats there- 
fore, went on ffiore every Morning with their Flag of 
Truce. We received, for the firk four Days, eight fmall 
Jars of Water; and, on the 5th, they reduced us to five 
Jars ; and, during the whole time, had but one fmall Cow, 
which was attended by a Boat full of Men ; amongft 
which were two Priefts, who, with a Shew of Friendfhip, 
brought with them a Paper in Spanijh , which they called 
the Articles of Peace, fo wretchedly written and blotted, 
that, had it been Englijh , we fhould have been puzzled to 
read it. I therefore defired the Priefts to tranfiate it fairly into 
Latin , which they promifed to do ; they took the Papers 
with them, and, for my farther Satisfaction, told me, that the 
Governor would fend for fome Englijhmen, who lived at the 
City of Guatiniala , if I would continue in the Road three 
Days longer : To which I anfwered, that he might take 
his own Time. In two Days after this, when the Boat 
went affiore as ufual, the Governor ordered them to be 
made Prifoners as foon as they landed. I was all the Day 
in Sufpenfe, not being able to guefs what could detain them 
on ffiore ; but was far from imagining, that the Governor 
would make fuch a Breach in the Laws of Nations. But, 
in the Evening, I was aftonifhed to fee only two of my 
Boat’s Crew, in a fmall leaky Canoe, with two Letters, 
one from the Governor, the other from Mr. Brooks , my 
firft Lieutenant : The Governor in his required me to de- 
liver up the Sacra Familia , and furrender myfelf, and that 
other wife he would declare us Pirates : And Mr. Brooks in 
his told me, that all he could learn, fince he had been a 
Prifoner, was, that the Governor was endeavouring to 
bully me. The Governor propofed two Ways of con- 
veying us out of the Spanijh Dominions ; the one to Vera 
Cruz by Land, or to Lima , in Peru , by Sea. Thefe 
Offers I equally diffiked ; for I did not like a Journey, of 
1300 Miles at leaft, through fuch a Country of barbarous 
People, nor yet a Voyage to Lima , under their Conduft. 
My two Men, who brought thefe Letters, told me, that 
Frederic Mackenzey had let the Governor into the Secret of 
our Neceffities, and of my former Defign of getting Water 
on the Ifland of Tygers , in the Gulph of Amapala , which 
he faid he would take care to prevent, if we dared to 
attempt it ; and believed, that he had us now fafe enough, 
knowing that we had no other Boat left but a very fmall 
Canoe. Notwithftanding this, and though I faw there was 
no relying on the Honour of thefe People, I was willing 
to come to a farther Treaty; but I knew not how to 
communicate my Mind to the Governor, fince it would 
have been an unreafonable Requeft in me, to have defired 
any of my Men to carry a Meffage to a Place where they 
were to be made Prifoners : But the two who brought the 
Letters off, voluntarily offered their Service, and a third 
went with them to throw out the Water ; and I fent a 
Letter by them, in French , to this Purpofe : tc If I could 
“ be affured of a fafe and fure Conduft for ourfelves and 
“ Effefts to Panama , and from thence, by the Way of 
64 Portobel , to fome of the Britijh Plantations, we would 
“ come to a farther Treaty ; which, if he intended, he 
“ muft fignify by firing two Guns, and by fending my 
« People, and the ufual Supply ; otherwife Neceffity 
« would oblige me to fail that Night.” But I received 
no manner of Anfwer to this ; therefore I weighed before 
Day the next Morning, and lay-to in the Bay till ten of 
the Clock, expecting I fhould hear from the_ Shore ; but 
nothing appearing, I made Sail, leaving behind me the 
JeJus Maria , a much more valuable Ship than the other* 
The Aftions of this Gentleman ffiewed there could be no 
Peace : However, I inftantly ordered a formal Proteft to 
be drawn up againft him. 
24. When we got out to Sea, we reduced ourfelves to 
a Pint of Water for twenty-four Hours, and direfted our 
Courfe for Amapala , which was about thirty- five Leagues 
to the South South-eaft of this Place, in order to get 
Water 
L 
