CHAPTER VIII. 
ARRIVAL AT TUMBEZ J RETURN TO THE G-ALLAPAGOSt 
As I before observed, we passed, on the 8th of June, to the 
northward of Abington island, and from thence made the best of 
our way for the river Tumbez, intending, however, to touch at the 
island of La Plata on my way there, to leave a letter for lieutenant 
Downes, for I judged, from the difficulties which I had experi¬ 
enced in getting to windward, that he would not be enabled to 
reach Charles’ island, and consequently would not receive my in¬ 
structions to go to the island of Cocos, a route now by no means 
necessary, as our want of water had been amply supplied by our 
last prizes. I still, however, felt desirous of joining him as soon 
as possible, and, feeling much confidence in his punctuality, I felt 
it incumbent on me to repair to the appointed rendezvous with all 
dispatch. 
Nothing of consequence transpired from the time of leaving 
the Gallapagos to our making the land of Peru, in the latitude of 
0° 47'28" south, on the 14th. On the beginning of our pas¬ 
sage, the winds blew from the south-east, but, as we approached 
the coast, they gradually hauled to the south, and when we made 
the land they blew from the south-south-west. I had felt some 
uneasiness, on account of the difficulty I should meet with in get¬ 
ting to the southward; but the captains of the prizes assured me 
we should have the wind and current both favourable as we ap¬ 
proached in shore, which proved to be the case. In this run we 
'Saw no vessels, although I kept my prizes spread in every direc¬ 
tion on the look-out. Every favourable opportunity that offered 
I embraced, to supply ourselves from our prizes with such things 
as were necessary for the ship, and, among other precious arti¬ 
cles, I was so fortunate as to obtain a new cable, sufficiently 
large for the Essex. 
On the night of the 16th, discovered the land ahead, bearing 
S. by E.; and as we had, the preceding day, been beating up 
