Some Of Our Men
Also Were Concealed Under Our Gunwales, With Their Muskets Ready To
Point Into The Boat, To Command Them To Make Her Fast, And This
Stratagem Succeeded.
I examined the prisoners as to the condition of the
town, which they assured me was then extremely poor,
Having neither
money nor provisions, and shewed me a small bark on shore, lately sent
in by Captain Clipperton with some of his prisoners, on the arrival of
which every thing of value had been removed into the country. Yet we
held on our way with Spanish colours flying, and came to the anchorage.
As soon as we were anchored, I sent Mr Brooks to attack the town with
twenty-four men, only those who rowed appearing, and the rest with their
arms lying in the bottom of the boats; so that when they landed, they
even found the children playing on the beach. These took the alarm
immediately, and ran away on seeing our armed men. In an instant the
whole place was in confusion, and happy were they who could escape, the
town being left destitute, and they were too nimble to be overtaken. Our
party ransacked Payta, but found it as poor as our prisoners reported;
so that they only found a few bales of coarse cloth, about five
hundred-weight of dried dog-fish, two or three pedlars packs, and an
inconsiderable quantity of bread and sweetmeats. We had better fortune
while at anchor, as we took a vessel in which were about fifty jars of
Peruvian wine and brandy; her master having come by stealth from Calao,
where orders had been given, that none but ships of force should venture
to sea. My people in the town were in no haste to re-embark, and when it
grew dark, some of the Spaniards began to assemble, and learning that
there were only eighteen English in the town, came down the hills with
great boldness. At first our people took refuge in the largest church,
meaning to have defended themselves there; but at length they marched
out, formed in a line, and kept beating their drum; and one of them
having fired a musket, the Spaniards hastily retreated, and our men
embarked without any more alarm.
From Payta we directed our course for the island of Gorgona, in the bay
of Panama, and in our passage to that place built a tank or wooden
cistern in our vessel, sufficient to contain ten tons of water. In our
way we made the island of Plata, Cape St Francisco, Gorgonella, or
Little Gorgona, and on the 2d of December arrived at the island of
Gorgona. We had here the advantage of being able to fill our watercasks
in the boat, the water running in small streams from the rocks into the
sea, and we cut our wood for fuel close to high-water mark; so that in
less than forty-eight hours we completed our business, and hurried away
for fear of those vessels which we understood had been sent in search of
us.
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