This Unlucky Accident Of Losing The Prize Revived The
Ill-Humour Among The Crew Of The Success, Who Did Not Indeed Enter Into
Any New Plot, But Became Much Dejected.
On the 16th they gave chase to another ship, which, after exchanging a
few shots, bore away and left them.
This was a fortunate escape, as she
was a ship of force commanded by one Fitzgerald, which had been fitted
out on purpose to take Captain Shelvocke; but knowing this not to be the
ship he was in search of, and doubting her strength, had no great
stomach to engage. These repeated disappointments, as they broke the
spirit of the crew, had a very bad effect on Captain Clipperton, who now
began to take to drinking, which grew at last to such a pitch that he
was hardly ever quite sober; owing to which unhappy propensity he
committed many errors in his future proceedings.
It was now determined to proceed to the northward in search of plunder,
as also to procure a supply of provisions, especially flour, having
expended all their stock of that article, and being now reduced to three
pounds of Indian corn for a mess of six men per day. Having but
indifferent fortune, and being in sight of point Helena in lat. 2 deg. 10'
S. they resolved to bear away for the Gallapagos islands, on the 27th
November, having in the first place set ashore the prisoners belonging
to the vessel in which Mr Milne was taken. In their passage to these
islands, they suspected an error in their log-line, which was found
three fathoms too short, making an error in their computation on this
run of about fifty-two miles. On the 4th of December they lost their
purser, Mr Fairman, and the same day found themselves near the
Gallapagos, being in lat. 0 deg. 36' N. with a strong current running to the
S.W. against which they had to contend. On the 6th the pinnace was sent
to look out for an anchorage at one of the islands, but returned without
finding any, having seen many tortoises on shore. Upon this the pinnace
and yawl were sent out to bring off some of these animals, and returned
with sufficient fish to serve the whole company for a day, but had been
unable to land for turtle, in consequence of a prodigious surf on the
shore. This island was a mere rock in lat. 0 deg. 9' N. and the ground all
about it was foul, with soundings from fifty to eighty fathoms. Leaving
this island, they proceeded to another in the S.W. but could find no
anchorage. Being unwilling to lose more time, they made the best of
their way for the island of Cocos,[240] where they hoped to procure
fish, fowls, and cocoa-nuts. On the 7th they saw several islands in the
N.E. through which they passed, and got clear of them all by the
9th,[241] but as the people daily fell sick, they grew very apprehensive
of the dangerous situation they might incur in case of missing the
island of which they were now in search.
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