At Sun-Rise Next Morning, 1st March, We Began To Engage The French Ship,
Which Was Of About 400 Tons Burden, And Thirty Guns, Well Manned.
We
fought her very close, broadside to broadside, for seven hours; and then
a small gale springing up, she sheered off.
In this action our consort
only fired ten or twelve guns at the commencement, when she dropt
astern, and never again came up during the whole fight, in which we had
nine men slain and several wounded. We were desirous to have had another
trial with the Frenchman, knowing it would be of bad consequences to let
him go, as he would discover our being in these seas to the Spaniards;
but our captain opposed this, saying, he knew where he could get to the
value of 500,000l. at any time. So we concluded to return to Juan
Fernandez, to get our anchors, long boats, and several tons of water
already casked, together with a ton of sea-lion oil, which we had left
there. Captain Stradling also had left five of his men, who were gone to
the west part of the island, and knew nothing of our going away after
the enemy. He had also left all his sails, besides those at the yards,
and a great many other stores.
We had then the wind at S. directly off Juan Fernandez, so that it was
difficult to go there; and while beating up we saw two sail, to which
the Cinque-ports was very near, and they fired several shots at her, but
she rowed away to us, and reported them to be two French ships of about
36 guns each; on which the two captains thought it convenient to bear
away for the coast of Peru, leaving Captain Stradling's five men, with
his other stores, which he could ill spare, and now we had neither of us
any boats. We accordingly stood for the coast of Peru on the 6th March,
and fell in with it on the 11th, in lat. 24 deg. 53' S.[208] The land here
was very high, having three distinct ranges of hills behind each other,
that nearest the water the lowest, and the farthest off the highest. We
coasted along shore to the northward, and passed the port of Capaipo
on the 14th, said to be a very good harbour, fenced from almost all
winds. The land is here inhabited by Indians, who make good wines; and
it is said to abound in good meat, corn, and other provisions, and from
this port they export wine, money, and other goods for Coquimbo. We
would willingly have gone ashore for refreshments, but could not for
want of boats.
[Footnote 208: There must be a material error here, as they afterwards,
in sailing along the coast to the northwards, passed Copaipo, which is
in lat. 27 deg. 13' S. and they consequently must have fallen in with the
coast of Chili, improperly named Peru in the text, considerably farther
south. - E.]
Continuing along the coast, which is the highest and most mountainous I
ever saw, we were surprised, on the 19th of March, to see the waves
changed to a red colour for seven or eight leagues, though on sounding
we had no ground at 170 fathoms; but on drawing up some of the water, we
found the colour owing to a vast quantity of fish-spawn, swimming on the
surface. We were now in lat. 16 deg. 11' S. having passed the three famous
ports of Arica, Ylo, and Arequipa. The 22d March we were off the
harbour of Callao de Lima, when we saw two ships steering for that port,
to which we gave chase, and soon came up with the sternmost, which
proved to be the ship we had fought with off the island of Juan
Fernandez. We were very eager to stop her from going in, to prevent the
Spaniards from having intelligence of us, and hindering their merchant
ships from putting to sea, and did not question our taking her, being
all now in health; whereas on the former occasion, between twenty and
thirty of our men were very sick and weak. But Captain Dampier was
averse to attack her; and while the matter was disputing, both ships got
into the port of Lima, from whence twenty ships such as ours could not
have forced them out. This proceeding gave great offence to most of the
crew, and might have proved of bad consequence, had we not taken two
very considerable prizes a few days afterwards, one of 150 and the other
of 200 tons. We took out of these every thing that we thought useful,
and then dismissed them.
The 5th of April, we began to prepare for the great exploit our captain
meditated, of landing on the coast and plundering some rich city; for
which purpose our carpenters were ordered to fit up the launches or long
boats we had taken from our prizes, so as to land our men in safety, and
to fit two swivels in each launch. On the 11th we took a bark of fifty
tons, laden with plank and cordage, as if sent on purpose for our
present service. This was in sight of Gallo, under which island we
anchored next day with our prize, which we kept to use in the intended
enterprise. The island of Gallo is in lat. 2 deg. 45' N. long. 76 deg. 38' W.
from London,[209] and about five leagues from the main; being two
leagues long and one league broad. When approached from the south, it
shews three hummocks which seem at a distance as three separate islands,
the land between being very low; but when to the N.W. of the S. end you
will see a small island, or rock rather, resembling a ship under sail.
From this island the main land is in sight, being very low near the sea,
but prodigiously high up the country.
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