A Breeze Of
Wind Springing Up, I Bore Down Upon The Success, And Went Aboard Of Her;
When I Gave
Captain Clipperton, and Mr Godfrey, our agent-general, the
whole history of my voyage, expecting to have been treated by
Them as
belonging to the same interest, but found them unwilling to have any
thing to do with me, now that my ship was lost. I trusted, however, that
Captain Clipperton would let me have such necessaries as he could spare,
on which he said, I should know more of his mind next day. Among other
discourses, he told me that he was just come from the island of Cocos,
his people very sickly, and on short allowance. I then offered my
service to pilot him to Mariato, which was not above thirty leagues
distant, where he might have refreshed his company, and supplied his
wants; but he was resolved to make the best of his way for the Tres
Marias, where he said there was plenty of turtle to be had, and so I
left him for the night.
Next morning, as I was going again on board the Success with some of my
officers, Captain Clipperton spread all his canvass, and crowded away
from us. On this I returned to my ship, fired several guns, and made
signals of distress, which were not regarded by him, till his officers
exclaimed against his barbarity, and at last he brought to. When I had
again got up with him, I sent Mr Brooks to know the reason of his
abrupt departure, and to request the supply of several necessaries,
which I was willing to pay for. On these terms, he spared me two of his
quarter-deck guns, sixty round shot, some musket-balls and flints, a
Spanish chart of the coast of Mexico, with part of China and India, a
half-hour glass and half-minute glass, a compass, and about three
hundred-weight of salt: But all my arguments could not prevail with him
to let me have any thing out of his medicine-chest for Mr Coldsea, who
was still very ill of his wound. For what we now had from the Success,
we returned some bales of coarse broad-cloth, as much pitch and tar as
he would have, and some pigs of copper: I gave him also a large
silver-ladle for a dozen spadoen, or Spanish swords. This being
concluded, I offered my services, assuring him I had a pretty good ship,
and that our cargo was of some value: To this he answered, if my cargo
were gold, he had no business with me, and I must take care of myself.
Mr Hendric, our agent, Mr Rainer, and Mr Dodd, our lieutenant of
marines, weary of the hard work imposed upon them, desired my leave to
go on board the Success, which I consented to, and Captain Clipperton
left us to shift for ourselves, being now near the island of Cano.
I was now for returning southwards, to try our fortunes in the bay of
Panama, but the majority opposed me through fear, insisting to go to the
Tres Marias, to salt turtle at these islands, and then to stretch over
for India. We accordingly directed our coarse that way, but as the wind
near the land continued in the west, and the coast of Mexico trended
nearly N.W. by W. we crept so slowly to windward, that we began to be
very short of provisions before we got the length of Realijo, on which
our design of landing there was renewed; but this intention was soon
frustrated, as we were blown past that place by a tequante peque, for
so the Spaniards on this coast call a violent gale at N.E. As we
continued our voyage along shore, we again fell in with the Success,
then in quest of Sonsonate, expecting there to receive the ransom of
the Marquis of Villa Roche who had been some time a prisoner on board.
We ranged close under her stern, and asked how Captain Clipperton and
the rest of the gentlemen did, but received no answer, and the Success
steered one way, while we went another. After this, calms, contrary
winds, and unaccountable currents, so delayed our proceedings, that were
reduced to a very short allowance, which we were forced to diminish
daily, and had been reduced to very great distress, had we not from time
to time found turtle floating on the surface of the sea, for which we
kept a good look-out, being able to discover them even at great
distances, by the sea-birds perching on their backs. On sight of these,
we were forced often to forego taking advantage of the wind; and,
besides often losing some of our way in pursuit of them, they had still
a worse effect, as dressing them occasioned a great consumption of our
water.
Being now threatened with almost certain perdition if means were not
fallen upon to avoid a state of absolute famine, I proposed that we
should attempt to plunder some small town as we coasted along shore. At
this time Guotalco was the nearest port; but, as we were standing in
for it, we saw a sail a considerable way to leeward, which we considered
more proper for us to endeavour to capture than to venture on shore, for
which purpose we bore down upon her, which proved to be the Success.
When sufficiently near, I made the private signal formerly concerted
between us, but Captain Clipperton hauled his wind, and did not lie by a
moment for us to get up with him. We were now so for to leeward of
Guatalco, that it was in vain to beat up for that port, especially on an
uncertainty. We were now reduced to a small daily allowance of
calavances, which not being sufficient to keep us alive, we had recourse
to the remainder of our smoked congers which had been neglected for some
months, and had been soaking and rotting in the bilge-water, so that
they were now as disgusting food as could be.
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