Chap. I. Captain Georg 
Water there on the Eland of Tygers. The Lofs of my 
Officers and Boat’s Crew fenfibly diminifhed the Number 
of white. Faces amongft us, and our Strength would have 
been fo much weakened by it, that we fhould never have 
been able to have managed this great Ship, with her large 
heavy Cotton Sails, if we had not taken our Negro Pri- 
foners along with us, who proved to be very good Sailors. 
The Lofs of our Boat was a great Inconveniency to us j 
but, as I thought of only taking Water enough to Pa- 
nama, where we were fully bent to furrender ourfelves, if 
it was really Peace, I thought we could make fhift with 
her to get fuch a Quantity as we fhould want in two or 
three Days time. The Winds being favourable, we ar- 
rived there in ten Days following : As foon as we entered 
the Gulph, we found ourfelves in the midft of feveral 
frnall Elands, amongft the reft the Eland of Tygers, where 
we expefted a Supply of Water : But our Expectations 
proved vain ; for, after an hazardous and fruitlefs Search for 
it, not only on that, but fome of the greeneft of the other 
Ifles, there was not the leaft Drop of frefh Water to be 
found on any of them. Surrounded on all Sides with un- 
happy Circumftances, we weighed our Anchor on the 13 th 
of April, before Day-break •, and, having now open -Sea 
before us, I brought my People in general to an obftinate 
Refolution, not by any means to furrender on this Part of 
the Coaft, let the Confequence be ever fo miferable. Upon 
this unanimous Agreement, having not forty Gallons of 
Water in the Ship, and no other Liquids, we came to fo 
fmall Allowance as half a Pint of Water for twenty-four 
Hours ; and even this Allowance was rather too large, 
confidering that there was no Place that we knew of, where 
we could get any, nearer than the Eland of ppuibo, which 
was about two hundred Leagues Diftance from us ; and we 
were forty-three in Number, reckoning our Negroes. 
Thus refolved, we fhaped our Courfe for ppuibo ; but, 
having very uncertain Winds and Weather, were thirteen 
Days at this Allowance •, during which time, there is none, 
that has not experienced it, can conceive what we fuffered 
in a fultry Clime, by the perpetual Extremity of Thirft, 
which would not permit us to eat an Ounce of Victuals in 
a Day. We conftantly drank our Urine, which, though 
it moiftened our Mouths for a time, excited our Thirft' 
the more. Some attempted to drink large Quantities of 
the Sea-water, which had like to have killed them. 
We were, however, unexpectedly alfifted ; for, on 
April the 25th, we came up with the Ifland of Cano, in the 
Latitude of 9 0 North, which, by the Verdure of it, pro- 
mifed to yield us Water, if we could get our Canoe afhore. 
Under Hopes of Succour from this little Ifle, we came to 
an Anchor on the North- weft Side of it, and it was as 
much as we could do to hand our Sails, flop the Cable, 
(Pc. We foon began to imagine that we could fee a Run of 
Water ; but, at the fame time, dreaded the dangerous 
Surf, which broke on the Beach all round thofe Parts we had 
ieen of it. Neverthelefs, Mr. Randal was fent with fome 
Jars, to try what could be done ; but they not returning 
till it was very late at Night, I was fearful they were loft, 
or that, not finding Water there, they were gone to the 
Continent*, but, to my unfpeakable Satisfaction, they 
came aboard with their jars filled. Any one may guefs the 
Excefs of joy which there muft naturally be amongft Men 
who were thus opportunely delivered from the Hands of 
Death ; but, as they did not bring above fixty or feventy 
Gallons of it, I took care to reftrain them from the Ufe 
of it, allowing to each Man only a Quart to be immedi- 
ately diftributed to them. What made me the more ftriCt in 
this was, that Mr .Randal allured me, that the Breakers 
were fo hazardous, that he believed we fhould not be able 
to get any more *, but that very Night we chanced to have 
a Shower of Rain, which we made the beft Ufe of, by 
catching what we could of it in Sheets, Blankets, (pc. 
During this Thirft, we conftantly wifhed for rainy Wea- 
ther, and had often good Reafon to expedl it by louring 
black Clouds, which feemed every Minute to be ready to 
difcharge their Burdens j yet never did before to any Pur- 
pofe. Being willing to make another Effay the next Day, 
i lent the Boatfwain, and fome with him, to make a fecond 
Attempt ; but, after having been quite round the Eland, 
and waited the whole Day in Search of a fmooth Beach, he 
’ 4 * 
eShelvocke. 227 
could not fee one Spot where he might venture on fhorc 
Therefore, thinking we had a Stock fufficient to carry us to 
Quibo, which was about thirty Leagues from us, I weighed 
the next Day, and, in ranging near the Ifland, faw a fmooth 
Beach, which induced me to fend the Boat a third time, 
that we might be provided againft fuch contrary Currents 
or Calms as we might meet with in our Way : Accord- 
ingly they went and filled nine Jars ; which done, we held 
our Way to the South-eaftward, and in a few Days arrived 
at Quibo, and anchored at the fame Place where we had 
been twice before. 
Captain Betagh is very fevere in his Reflections on Mr, 
Shelvocke’s Management at Sanfonnate, where he fays ex- 
prefly, that he got rid of fix more of his People ; after 
which, he explains his Meaning, and vindicates his Ai- 
fertion thus : I don’t expeCt, fays he, the World will 
judge of this Affair as I do, becaufe thofe who are igno- 
rant of the Circumftances of thefe Things, and unac- 
quainted with Sbclvocke’s perfonal Behaviour, cannot make 
a proper Cenfure. When a Man dies in a Courfe of 
Phyfic, who knows whether it is Chance or Defign in the 
Doctor? The Patient is gone by legal Prefcription : So here, 
a Gentleman is clearly ordered afliore into the Enemy’s 
Hands, and, if he never returns, who can fay it is a De- 
fign, or Accident ? Thus much is certain, they went 
without a Hoftage *, though Shelvocke always had ftrong 
Notions of the Spaniards Refentment, and their manner 
of Revenge, efpecially in Mexico, where the Indians are 
the cruelleft People alive *, and, while he was fpeaking of 
Mitchell's Story, we find him quick enough to leave it 
paft Doubt, that he and his Men perilhed in fome obfcure 
Manner ; and yet he muft now fend a young Gentleman 
afliore into the Clutches of this Enemy, at a time, when 
he knew the whole Coaft was exafperated, and himfelf 
deftitute of all common Neceffaries, with a very indifferent 
Force, and, confequently, not able to refent any Affront, 
much lefs to avenge himfelf on the Governor, in cafe he 
detained Brooks and his Men. Shelvocke, immediately 
before and after this, adted in an hoftile Manner on that 
Coaft ; and, even in their View, he took this Ship, called 
the Holy Family, where the Boatfwain loft his Life ^ fo 
that, if poor Brooks and his Men were facrificed by way of 
Atonement, it is no fevere Sufpicion. Lie adds to this 
fome other Circumftances to fupport the Opinion he has 
given ; but as thefe are not at all material to the Hiftory 
of the Voyage, I flhall not dwell longer upon them, but 
proceed. 
25. We purified our Bufinefs of wooding and watering 
in this Eland pretty chearfully, and yet without being in 
any great Hurry, for feveral Reafons ; but the principal 
was, that as we were now within fourfcore Leagues of 
Panama, it was very requifite to deliberate ferioufly on our 
Scheme of furrendering there to the Spaniards, fince we 
all knew, that this Step once taken, there would remain 
no room for Deliberation afterwards. We confldered, 
that the very Situation of this Place afforded us many Ad- 
vantages 5 for Panama is by no means ftrong towards the 
Sea, and, therefore, having a good Ship, we thought it 
would be no difficult Matter to fettle the Terms of the 
Treaty while we continued at a Diftance. We likewife 
reckoned upon fome Affiftance from the South Sea Com- 
pany’s Factors who were fettled there, who might have 
interceded for us *, and, in cafe a Peace was concluded, 
procure us a fafe and fpeedy Paffage to Europe. But, as 
there was fomething exceedingly difagreable in the No- 
tion of a Surrender, efpecially to fuch kind of Enemies as 
the Spaniards, it cannot be wondered, that we were not 
much in a Flurry about it, efpecially as we were here a 
little at Eafe, and enjoyed a great many Convemencies that 
we had been Strangers to a long time before. The fr$e 
Ufe we made of the excellent Fruits of this Ifland brought 
the Flux amongft us, which, though in the main, I be- 
lieve, did little Hurt, but ferved rather to preferve us from 
the Scurvy ; yet it weakened us very much, and inter- 
rupted our Work for two or three Days ; which time we 
fpent in Confutations about our future Condudt, when- 
ever it ffiould pleafe God we ffiould put to Sea again ; but 
our Views were lo different, and our Minds fo diftra&ed, 
that we could come to tip Refolution, but that of con- 
tinuing 
