34“ The V O Y 
her Boat afh-ore-j In order to get Water* having Sight of 
ieveral Rivulets, but to no Purpofe •, for the Wind blow- 
ing itrong from the Shore, occafioned ftich a Surff, as ren- 
derea it impoffible for them to land * However* their Ex- 
pedition was not altogether ineffe&ual, fince the Boat re- 
turned with a large Supply of Fifh. 
On the 23d they made the larger Iflarid of Jttan Fer- 
nandez again, and about 1 1 in the Morning came to an An- 
chor. 1 he Commodore then lent off his Boat, with a 
Lieutenant and a Crew fufficient to affift the Gloucejier in 
Mooring. They had been now above a Month plying in 
Sight of the Eland, and from the Time they left Port St 
Julian s had buried 254 Men, and had now but 98 left, 
of whom not above feven or eight were able to affift in 
working the Ship ; they were, befides, fo diftreffed for Wa- 
ter, that for a Month before they made the Illand of Juan 
Fernandez , they were reduced to a Pint a Day, and had 
not enough, even at that fcanty Allowance, to ferve them 
a Week longer. However, when her Crew once got on 
fhore, and had the Conveniency of Tents, and fuch Re- 
frefhments as the Eland afforded, they recovered apace ; 
which was efpeeially owing to the Commodore, who fup- 
plied the Sick, as he had done his own People, with Wine, 
and other Neceffaries, from his private Stores. The Be- 
ginning of the Month of Augujl they fpent in repairing and 
rigging their Ships, and in clearing the Hold of the GIou- 
cefter ; where they found a great many of her lower Tier 
of Water-cafks half filled with Sea-water and Ballaft *, 
which was occafioned by the Rats eating Holes in them. 
On the 5th the Commodore detached the Triafs Sloop to 
the Eland de Fuera , to fee if any of the reft of the Squa- 
dron had put in there, and fhe returned on the 21ft, but 
without any Intelligence. The reft of this Month, and 
the Beginning of the next, was fpent in getting on board 
Water, and other Neceffaries, that the Ships might, as foon 
as poffible, be in a Condition to put to Sea. 
12. On September 7. about eight in the Morning, a Sail 
appeared in the Offing ; upon which the Commodore flipt 
his Cables, and gave her Chace. The next Day, they 
loft Sight of her ; but foon faw another Sail, which they 
chafed and took, and returned with her on the 14th to 
the Eland of Juan Fernandez. The Prize was called the 
Camilla , and had on board, amongft other things, 140,000 
Pieces of Eight. The Ann Pink being condemned as ufe- 
Iefs, her Ammunition, and eight of her Guns, were put 
on board the Spanifh Prize, which was fitted up with all the 
Care and Diligence imaginable, to fupply her Place. On 
the 1 8 th, the T rid Sloop, being intirely refitted, was ordered 
to Sea, with Directions to cruife in a certain Latitude, till 
joined by the Commodore. The Spanijh Prifoners, to the 
Number of twenty-eight, were put on board the Gloucejier ; 
and Captain Mitchell had Orders given him to refit as foon 
as poffible, and follow the Commodore, who was refblved 
to lofe no Time in purfuing his Inftru&ions. Captain 
Mitchell was likewile directed to take out the Mails of the 
Ann Pink, and fet her on Fire ; which Precautions being 
taken, the Commodore failed, with his Prize, from the 
Ifiand of Juan Fernandez , in order to cruife on the SpaniJJj 
Coaft. 
On Odlober 3. a little after Noon, they had Sight of two 
Ships, and, on giving Chace, came up with them, when 
they proved to be the Trial Sloop, and a Prize fhe had 
taken. The Prize was a fine, new, ftrong Ship, fit, in 
every refpedt, for a Privateer ; and, as the Trial had fpning 
her Fore- mail and Mam-maft in chafing her, the Commo- 
dore condemned the Sloop, and commiffioned the Prize. 
In this Ship were taken, befides other Merchandize, 144 
Ounces of Gold, 7272 Ounces of Silver, and two Chefts of 
Church-plate, very finely wrought, befides other Things of 
Value. On the 4th, the Men being already turned over to 
the Prize, and all things of Value taken out of the Trial 
Sloop, flie was deftroyed •, but not fet on Fire, to avoid 
alarming the Coaft. On the 5th, the Articles of War were 
read to the Ship’s Company ; and from thence to the 20th, 
the Commodore continued cruifing, with his two Prizes, on 
■ the Coaft of Peru , where we will leave them for the prefent, 
in order to give an Account of the Shipwreck of the JVager ; 
which is a Point, however difagreeable, of fo great Import- 
ance, that, I think, it cannot be omitted. 
AGES of Book I. 
13. The Account given by the Gunner and Carpenter 
which is already in every body’s Hands, deferves to be read 
with the litmoft Attention, the rather becaufe I do not 
find, that any Part of their Narrative is contradicted, not- 
withftanding it is certain, that fome Advices hake been 
received from the Captain,, who is fince arrived fafe in fome 
of the Spanijh Settlements. I have made all the Ufe of it 
I could, as well as of other Informations I have received in 
order to give a fhort, plain, and, as far as I have any 
Lights* a true Account of the Matter. The Wager fepa- 
rated from the Commodore on April 19. in the Evening 
when the Weather was much better, than it had been for 
a Month before. Immediately after this Separation, the 
Mifchief that afterwards broke out fo violently, bemm to 
work, fhe Steward taking Upon him to fhorten Provlfions, 
and to behave in fuch a manner, that the Captain ordered 
a Cafe of Piftok to be delivered to every Officer on board 
the Ship. I muft Confefs, it fee ms very clear to me, that 
there were two finifter Defigns formed on board the Wagers 
the one, if we may credit the Accounts we have had, of the 
Captain, to go upon the SpaniJJj Coaft: without the Com- 
modore ; and the other, of the Crew to do what they pleafed. 
The firft appears from hence, that the Captain denied the 
Rendefvous was at the Ifiand of Jttan Fernandez ; and pre- 
tended* that it had been altered at St. Julian's to an Ifiand 
in the Latitude of 44 0 South ; which was the only Excufe 
he made for continuing his Courfe, at the apparent Hazard 
of the Ship, and of all their Lives. 
That the Reader may perceive this the more clearly* I 
am obliged to give him a Co-nverfation, which happened 
between Captain JDauid Cheap and Mr, Bulksley the Gunner, 
a few Evenings before the Ship was loft, which explains the 
whole Affair, and is thus related by the Gunner : 1 The 
‘ Captain fent for me into his Cabin, and the firft Word 
he faid was. Gunner, What Longitude have you' made ? 
‘ I told him, 28° 30'. What Diftanee do you reckon your^ 
4 felf off the Land ? I anfwered, About fixty Leagues 5, 
bur, if the two Elands we law were thole laid down iff 
4 your Chart to lie off Brewer ' s S freights* and the fame 
4 Current continues, with a Weftern Swell, we cannot be 
4 above a third Part of the Diftanee off the Land. The 
4 Captain made Anfwer, As for the Currents, there is no 
4 Account to be given for them : Sometimes they fet one 
4 Way, and fometimes another. I faid, Sir, very true; but, 
4 as the Ship has been always under reeft Courfes, with the 
4 Mizen-maft gone, fhe muft wholly drive to Leeward, and 
4 nigher the Land than expefted. The Captain then told 
4 me, I fuppofe you are not unacquainted with my Rendef- 
4 vous for the Ifiand of Nojlra Signora di Socora , in the 
4 Latitude of 44 0 , I Feplied, Sir, the Ship is in a very 
4 bad Condition to come in with the Lee-fhore ; and, if it 
4 is poffible to bring the Ship to an Anchor, we lhall never 
4 purchafe it again. The Captain anfwered, I do not 
4 defign to come to an Anchor; for there are no Sound- 
4 ings, until you come within feven Leagues of the Land. 
4 I purpofe to ftand off-and-on twenty-four Hours ; and, 
4 if I do not fee the Commodore, or any of the Squadron, 
4 in that time, we will go for Juan Fernandez. To this I 
4 faid, Sir, the Ship is a perfed Wreck, our Mizen-maft 
4 gone, with our Handing Rigging fore-and-abaft, and all 
4 our People down ; therefore I cannot fee what we can do 
4 in with the Land. The Captain’s Anfwer was, It does 
4 not fignify ; lam obliged and determined to go for the 
4 firft Rendefvous.* I find it is a thing taken for granted 
by thofe, who have given an Account of this Voyage, that 
the Captain really had Inftrudions to fail to this Ifiand ; 
which, however, I very much doubt : For it does not ap- 
pear, that the Commodore ever went thither, or thought of 
fending thither, to fee if any of the Squadron were there ; 
which he certainly would have done, if it had been the firft 
Place of Rendefvous. 
On May 14. at half an Hour paft four in the After- 
noon, the Ship ftruck on a funk Rock ; and the Crew faw, 
to their great Sorrow, nothing but Rocks round them. 
She ftruck a fecond time, which broke the Head of the 
Tiller ; and in a fhort time after fhe ftruck, bulged, and 
grounded between two fmall Iflands, about five Leagues 
diftant from the Main, and not above a Mufquet-fhot from 
the Shore. They immediately launched the Barge, Cutter, 
and 
