PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
209 
pointment of sailing-master to midshipman Odenheimer ; and, 
to supply their places on board the prizes, I put the younger mid¬ 
shipmen, boys from 12 to 15 years of age, making them nominal¬ 
ly prize-masters, with careful seamen, in whom I could confide, 
to take care of them. 
Our wooding and watering went on briskly, and every thing 
promised a speedy supply to all our wants, except vegetables. 
On our first arrival, boats had come off to the ship; but the go¬ 
vernor, finding by the purser’s remaining in town he could mo¬ 
nopolize the whole trade, forbade every person selling any article 
whatever, and placed guards at the river’s mouth to prevent boats 
from coming off to us. Hearing nothing of the purser for two 
or three days, and not knowing the cause of the boats keeping 
aloof from us, I had some serious apprehensions for his safety; 
and this fear was somewhat increased by the disappearance of 
one of my prisoners, the mate of a ship, whose absence could not 
$e accounted for in any way but on the supposition of his being 
murdered by the natives, for a few dollars he had taken with him 
on shore, for the purpose of procuring a few articles for the 
others. He had been permitted to go on parole, and had left on 
board a considerable sum of money, as well as all his clothing 
and other property, and his not returning at the appointed 
time caused considerable suspicion to us all. Another cir¬ 
cumstance which led me to suspect some treachery was a let¬ 
ter I had received from Guyaquil, which shewed the inimical 
disposition of the governor of that place towards us ; and, as the 
governor of Tumbez was subordinate to him, I felt confident that 
he would be conformable to the views of his superior, unless I 
should secure his friendship by fresh presents, which was what 
I was by no means induced to, while we could supply our most 
^urgent wants without his consent. 
The letter I speak of was as follows : 
Captain Porter, sir, Guyaquil, 22d June, 1813. 
I have seen the description of the four ships that are in Tum¬ 
bez, knowing that several merchants have seen the same, and all 
would be willing to enter a negotiation ; but it is impossible, as 
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VOL. I. 
