344 The VOYAGE S of Book I. 
*ike Captain Cheap , and with a fmaller Number of Men, 
on an uninhabited Ifland, in a much worfe Situation, he 
will there fee, that the Commodore loft nothing of his 
Authority, but was regarded as the Father of thofe ort 
Shore, whole Officer he had been at Sea. We may theft 
behold him giving his Orders in that defert Ifland with the 
farne Firmnefs of Mind as on board his Ship, and thofe 
Orders obeyed with equal Readinefs, becaufe encouraged 
by his own Example. There, indeed, Mr. Anfon was an 
abfolute Monarch, and governed by no other Rule than 
that of his Will, becaufe his People were fenfible* from 
long Experience, that he had nothing in View but their 
Good ; and therefore they knew no Intereft, but that of 
obeying his Directions. Fie found himfelf under no Ne- 
cefllty of talking of his Commiffion, and the Laws of the 
Navy, becaufe he derived his Authority from an higher 
Source, the Affection of his Ship’s Company. In a Word, his 
Virtues fecured him, not only from Sedition, but from the 
very Sufpicion of it ; and thofe who fhared with him in 
that Danger, inftead of reflecting on the Accident with 
Florror, ftill remember with Delight that Picture of 
primitive Government, in which fuperior Abilities gave 
a kind of divine Right to Empire. But to return to that 
Scene of Confufion which we left fo lately. 
After feizing their Captain, and finifhing the Veffel, in 
which they were to embark, the Crew of the Wager 
thought of nothing but getting on board their Sea-ftores, 
and leaving the difmal Place of their Confinement ; but, 
before they did this, they thought fit to draw up a kind of 
Inftrument of Depofltion *, which, becaufe I believe it is 
the firft of its kind, and as Angular in its Form as in its 
Matter, I fhall give it the Reader in their own Words : 
1 Whereas Captain David Cheap, our Commander, in his 
4 Majefty’s Ship the Wager, never confulted any of his 
4 Officers for the Safety and Prefervation of the faid Ship, 
4 and his Majefty’s Subjects thereto belonging; but feveral 
4 times, fince the unhappy Lofs of the faid Ship, he has 
4 been folicited, in the moft dutiful Manner, promifing 
4 him, at the fame time, to fupport his Command, defiring 
4 no more than to go off Fleart and Hand from this Place 
4 to the Southward ; which he gave his Word and Honour 
4 to do ; and, being almoft ready for failing, did apply to 
4 him fome few Days paft to draw up fome proper Ar- 
4 ticks, in order to prevent Mutiny, and other material 
4 Things, which we thought neceffary to be agreed to 
4 before we went off; but he, in the moft fcornful Man- 
4 ner, hath rejected every thing propofed for the public 
4 Good : And as he is now a Prifoner, and the Command 
4 given to the Lieutenant, upon his Approbation of the 
4 following Articles : Firft, as we have no Conveniency 
4 for dreffing Provifions on board the Vefiel for a third 
4 Part of the Number to be carried off the Spot, therefore 
4 have this Day ferved cut, to every Man and Boy, twelve 
4 Days Provifion for them to drefs before we go off : And 
4 alfo it is agreed, that whoever is guilty of defrauding 
4 another of any Part of his Allowance, on fufficient 
4 Proof thereof, the Perfon found guilty, without any 
4 Refpeft of Perfon, ftiall be put on fhore at the firft con- 
4 venient Place, and left there : Secondly, in regard to 
4 the Boat’s going off with us, we think proper to allow 
4 one Week’s Provifion for each Man appointed to go in 
4 them, in order to prevent Separation from each other, 
4 which would be of the worft Confequence of any thing 
4 that can happen to us : To prevent which, we do agree, 
4 that, when under Wav, they fhall not feparate, but al- 
4 ways keep within Mufquet-fhot, and, on no Pretence or 
4 Excufe whatfoever, go beyond that Reach : The Officer, 
4 or any other Perfon, who fhall attempt Separation, or 
4 exceed the above-mentioned Bounds, fhall, on Proof, be 
4 put on fhore, and left behind : Thirdly,, it is agreed, in 
4 order to fupprefs Mutiny, and prevent Broils and Quar- 
4 rels on board the Veffel, that no Man fhall threaten the 
4 Life of another, or offer Violence in any Shape ; the 
4 Offender, without any refpeCt of Spit ion or Quality, 
4 being found guilty, fhall be put on fhore, and left be- 
4 hind : Fourthly, we do agree, whatever Fowl, Fifh, or 
4 Neceffaries of Life, we fhall happen to meet with in our 
4 Paffage, the fame fhall- be divided among .the Whole; 
and if Captain David Cheap fhall be. put on board a Pri- 
4 
4 foner. it fhall not be in the Lieutenant 3 .; Power to releafe 
6 him.’ Thefe Articles were figned by the Lieutenant, 
Mailer j Boatfwain, Gunner, Carpenter, Purfer, three Mid- 
fhipmen, and about forty other People. 
When this Refolution, or rather this Revolution, was 
intimated to Captain Cheap , by Mr. Bnlkeiey the Gunner, 
he delivered himfelf to this Purpofe, in the Hearing of 
moft of the Ship’s Company : I am to be carried Prifoner 
to England ; Gentlemen, I fhall never live to fee England * 
but die by Inches in the Voyage ; and it is furprifmg to 
me, to think what you can expeCt by going to the South- 
ward, where there are ten thoufand Difficulties to be encoun- 
tered with : I am forry fo many brave Fellows ffiould be 
led to go where they are not acquainted, when, by going 
to the Northward, there is the Ifland of Chiloe , not above , 
ninety Leagues, where We need not fear taking Prizes* 
and may have a Chance to fee the Commodore. To this 
the Gunner made Anfwer ; Sir, you have faid* that we 
fhall be called to an Account for this in England : I mull; 
tell you, for my Part, had 1 been guilty of any Crime, 
and Was hire of being hanged for it in England * I would 
make it my Choice to go thither, fooner than to the North- 
ward : Have not you given your Word and Honour to 
go to the Southward ? It is true, there is a Chance in go- 
ing Northward, of delivering us from this unhappy Situ- 
ation of Life to a worfe, viz. a Spanijh Prifon. The Cap- 
tain then faid no more* but, Gentlemen* I wifli you well, 
and fafe to England. In this Unlucky Situation* Captain 
Cheap determined to try, whether it was not poffible to 
obtain an Alteration in the Refolution! of the' People, at 
leaft with regard to himfelf, efpecially as it went no farther 
than defiring he might not be obliged to make a Voyage 
againft his ov/n Judgment ; but be left on that Ifland, to 
take what Courfe for his own Safety he fliould think fit. 
This Demand of his does not feem to have been relifhed 
by the Commander of the Land Forces, who thought, 
that, as they had confined Captain Cheap for Murder, they 
were bound to juftify that A61 by bringing him home to 
be tried for it ; but the reft of the Crew thought otherwife, 
for Reafons that will foon appear: They confented therefore 
to the Captain’s Requeft ; and, at the fame time, declared, 
that if there were any who had a Mind to flay with the 
Captain, they were at full Liberty to purfue their own 
Sentiments in that refpeCt ; and went farther, by offering 
the Barge and the Y aul for the Service of fuch as accepted 
of this Propofal, that they might not be deftitute of the 
Means of getting off the Ifland, if the Captain ffiould 
make any Propofal ’ for that Purpofe. I do not pretend 
to deride fo intricate a Queftion, as who was in the Right, 
or who in the Wrong, in the Management of this Affair, 
I have already intimated, that, poffibly, there might be 
Faults on both Sides : But this, I think, I may have Leave 
to fay, without Fear of Contradiction, that, as Things then 
flood, there was a great deal of Humanity and Good- 
nature in this Part of the Seamens ConduCt, who left their 
Commander the fame Liberty they took themfelves, and 
did not pretend, after depriving him of his Command over 
them, to take from him alfo the Command over himfelf. 
It rarely happens, that a Man, long veiled with Power, 
and who has any Virtues, gains no perfonal Friends ; and 
Captain Cheap , how unlucky foever he might be in his 
ConduCt as a Commander, had, as a Gentleman, too: 
many good Qualities to be totally deferred, tho* there 
were but two who at firft embraced this Propofftion of 
flaying with the Captain, viz. Lieutenant Hamilton of the 
Marines, and Mr. Elliot the Surgeon of the Ship, who 
chofe rather to ffiare any Hardfhip with their Officer, than 
be guilty of fo mean an Aclion as deferring him in his Di- 
ftreis. As I cannot pretend to cenfure the Conduct of the 
Ship’s Company, for doing, what, perhaps, Neceffity 
obliged them to do, fo I cannot forbear commending the 
Honour and Fidelity of thefe Gentlemen in remaining 
with their Friend. There is a wide Difference between 
abetting the Abufes of Power, and preferving Refpeef for 
the Officer who is thought to abufe it ; and though no 
Ties of perfonal Friendship ought to induce any Gentle- 
man to be an Inftrument in the former, yet they may very 
well juftify the latter. 
On 
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