We Anchored Off The N.W. Part Of
This Island, Two Cables Length From The Shore, In Thirty-Five Fathoms
On
hard sand, the N. point bearing N. 1/2 W. and the S. point S.W. The
watering place
Goes in with a full gap, over which, on the hill, is a
plain spot of red earth, bearing N.W. 1/2 N. but there are several other
good watering places in the island. The best anchorage is on the N.E.
part at Legnetta, where a ship may wood and water quite secure from
any enemy. The island is very woody, affording large timber, which is
often shipped hence for Peru. There are here a few wild monkeys, with
abundance of lizards; among which is one called the lion-lizard, about
the size of a man's arm, one that I measured being three feet eleven
inches from the head to the end of the tail. It has a kind of large comb
on its head, standing up like a helmet, as if to defend its head, and
when attacked it erects this comb, which otherwise lies in a deep groove
on the head, just fitted for its reception, so that it can hardly be
seen when down. This animal has very large eyes, and a large mouth, in
which are a great many small sharp teeth. The skin is rough and of a
dark colour, full of black, yellow, and bluish spots. It runs very
swift, yet our dog caught many of them.
[Footnote 209: Lat. 1 deg. 56' N. long. 78 deg. 50' W. from Greenwich. - E.]
After remaining here five days, we began to hoist our anchors to set
sail, when we discovered a ship standing in for the island, which we
took. She was a small vessel of fifty tons, commanded by a Mestizo, on
board of which we found a Guernsey man, who had been taken by the
Spaniards, while cutting logwood in the Bay of Campeachy above two years
before, and must have continued a prisoner during life if we had not
released him. On sailing from Gallo, our purpose was to attack the town
of Santa Maria, not far from this on the continent to the E. expecting
there to have found a great quantity of gold, brought thither from the
adjacent mines of the same name. But this design miscarried, whether
from fear, confusion, or the enemy having early intelligence of our
motions, which enabled them to cut off many of our men. This, however,
is certain, that we were quite sick of our fruitless attempts on shore
by the 1st May, and immediately re-embarked. We were now so short of
provisions, that five boiled green plantains were allotted for six men;
but, when almost out both of hope and patience, a vessel came and
anchored close beside us at midnight, which we took without resistance.
This proved a most valuable prize, being a ship of 150 tons, laden with
flour, sugar, brandy, wine, about thirty tons marmalade of quinces, a
considerable quantity of salt, and several tons of linen and woollen
cloth; so that we had now a sufficient supply of provisions even for
four or five years. I was put aboard of this prize on behalf of Captain
Dampier and his company, and the master of the Cinque-ports, in behalf
of Captain Stradling and his crew.
We carried our prize into the Bay of Panama, and anchored under the
island of Tobago on the 14th of May. Here Captains Dampier and Stradling
disagreed, and the quarrel proceeded to such length, that they could not
be reconciled, so that at last it was determined to part company, all
the men being at liberty to go with which captain they pleased, in
consequence of which five of our men went over to Captain Stradling, and
five of his men came to us. We were now informed by the prisoners, that
there were 80,000 dollars on board our prize, which had been taken on
board at Lima clandestinely, and were concealed at the bottom of the
hold in the run of the ship. But Captain Dampier would not credit this,
neither would he wait till we should rummage her to the bottom, lest
delay might mar his great designs. Having, therefore, taken on board a
quantity of provisions from the prize, she was dismissed; and we set
sail in the St George on the 19th May, leaving the Cinque-ports behind,
intending again to proceed for the coast of Peru.
We took a vessel of 120 tons on the 7th June, bound from Truxillo for
Panama, and laden with flour, sugar, brandy, and other articles, with
some bales of flowered silk. In her we found a packet of letters, and
the first of these we happened to read was from the captain of the ship
we had fought off Juan Fernandez, and fell in with again going into
Callao. It was directed to the president of Panama, and stated, "That he
had fought with two English privateers off Juan Fernandez, the smaller
having only fired eight or ten guns at him, and then fell astern and did
not come up again during the fight, as he believed for want of wind;
while the large ship fought him yard-arm and yard-arm for more than six
hours, killed a great many of his men, and wounded such numbers, that he
had landed thirty-two at Lima, each of whom had lost a leg, an arm, or
an eye, and he had been nearly taken, as at parting they had given
themselves over for lost, not having a sufficient number of men left to
defend themselves." By other letters, we learnt that the two French
ships we afterwards saw near Juan Fernandez had picked up a boat at sea,
in which were an Englishman and a dog; had been in at the island of Juan
Fernandez, and had taken up our anchors, cables, and long-boats, with
all Captain Stradling's stores, as also his five men and our negro who
were left there.
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