The Little Unsavoury Morsels We Daily Eat,
Created Incessant Quarrels, Every One Contending For The Frying-Pan; And
Our Only Convenience For A Fire, Was A Tub Half Filled With Earth, Which
Made Cooking So Tedious, That We Had The Continual Noise Of Frying From
Morning To Night.
I proposed that we should stand for the Bay of
Conception, as being the nearest to us; and we
Were hard put to it every
day, while the sea-breeze continued; for, not having above sixteen
inches free board, and our bark tumbling prodigiously, the water ran
over us perpetually; and having only a grating deck, and no tarpaulin to
cover it but the top-sail of our bark, our pomps were barely sufficient
to keep us free.
At four in the morning of the 10th, we fell in with a large ship, and I
could see by moon-light that she was Europe-built. Our case being
desperate, we stood towards her, and being rigged after the fashion of
the South Seas, they did not regard us till day-light. Not being then
quite up with her, they suspected us by the brownness of our canvas,
wore ship, hauled close upon the wind, fired a gun, and crowded sail
away from us, leaving us at a great rate. It fell calm two hours after,
when we had recourse to our oars, and neared her with tolerable speed.
In the mean time, we overhauled our arms, which we found in bad
condition, a third of them wanting flints, and we had only three
cutlasses, so that we were by no means prepared for boarding, which yet
was the only means we had of taking the ship. We had only one small
cannon, which we could not mount, and were therefore obliged to fire it
as it lay along the deck; and we had only two round shot, a few
chain-bolts, the clapper of the Speedwell's bell, and some bags of
stones. We came up with her in four hours; but I now saw that she had
guns and pattereroes, with a considerable number of men, whose arms
glittered in the sun. The enemy defied us to board them, and at the same
time gave us a volley of great and small shot, which killed our gunner,
and almost brought our foremast by the board. This unexpected reception
staggered many of my people, who before seemed most forward, so that
they lay on their oars for some time, though I urged them to keep their
way. Recovering again, we rowed quite up to them, and continued to
engage till all our small shot was expended, which obliged us to fall
astern to make some slugs, and in this manner we made three attacks
without success. All night we were busied in making slugs, and provided
a large quantity before morning, when we came to the determined
resolution either to carry her by boarding, or to submit to her. At
day-break, I accordingly ordered twenty men in our yawl to lay her
athwart hawse, while I proposed to board her from the bark; but, just as
we were on the point of making the attempt, a gale sprung up, and she
went away from us. We learnt afterwards that she was the Margaretta,
having formerly been a privateer from St Malo, mounting forty guns. In
the several skirmishes, we had none killed, except Gilbert Henderson our
gunner. Three were wounded, Mr Brooks being shot through the thigh, Mr
Coldsea in the groin, and one of the crew in the small of the back. Mr
Coldsea lingered in a miserable condition for nine or ten months, but at
length recovered.
We were now in a worse condition than ever, and the sea being too rough
for our uncomfortable vessel, I proposed to stand to the north to get
into fairer weather, but to take Coquimbo in our way, to try what might
be done there. This was agreed to; but the very morning in which we
expected to have got into Coquimbo, a hard gale of wind sprung up, which
lasted four days, during which we every hour expected to founder, being
obliged to scud under bare poles, with our yawl in tow, and having only
a very short rope for her. This storm so frightened many of our people,
that they resolved to go ashore at the first place they could find. At
length, calling to mind the account given by Frezier of the island of
Iquique, I mentioned the surprisal of that place, being but a small
lieutenancy, where we might probably get some wholesome provisions, and
a better vessel. This was approved, and the sun again shining, so that
we lay dry, we acquired fresh vigour, and directed our course for that
island. Next evening we saw the island, which seemed merely a high white
rock, at the foot of the high land of Carapucho. Our boat set off for
the island about sun-set, and had like to have been lost among the
breakers. At length they heard the barking of dogs, and saw the light of
some candles; but, aware of the danger of landing in the dark, they made
fast their boat to a float of weeds for want of a grapnel, and waited
till day-light. They then rowed in between the rocks, and were
ignorantly welcomed on shore by some Indians. Going to the house of the
lieutenant, they broke open the door, and rummaged it and the village,
finding a booty more valuable to us in our present situation than gold
or silver. This consisted of 60 bushels of wheat flour, 120 of
calavanses and corn, some jerked beef, mutton, and pork, a thousand
weight of well-cured fish, four or five days eating of soft bread, and
five or six jars of Peruvian wine and brandy, besides a good number of
fowls and some rusk. They had also the good fortune to find a boat to
bring off their plunder, which otherwise had been of little use to us,
as our own boat was fully laden with men.
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