I Then Delivered Up The Conception To Espina And The Rest,
After Being Three Days In Our Possession:
Which was not only an act of
generosity to our prisoners, but an act of prudence with regard to
ourselves.
The next great point to be managed, was to get our people to
consent to sail so far north as California, previous to our intended
voyage to the East Indies, for which we were not in so good a condition
as we could wish, though much better than before, and even than we had
any reason to have expected, every thing considered. We had a good ship,
with fifteen guns and sufficient ammunition, together with a reasonable
quantity of provisions; but we still wanted to complete our wood and
water for so long a voyage, the procuring of which was necessarily our
first care. The ship's company were for going to Quibo for this purpose,
as nearest us, but that place was attended by two important
inconveniences. The first was the danger of the road, as the stormy
season was coming on, and we were but indifferently provided with ground
tackle, which must expose us to many dangers. The second was, that Quibo
was but at a small distance from Panama, and we had reason to fear the
Spaniards might send a ship of war from thence in search of us; as we
had now no hopes that peace had taken place, and had consequently laid
aside all thoughts of surrendering. On these considerations, we plied up
to the island of Cano, where we soon did our business, having a good
boat.
[Footnote 278: Betagh charges Shelvocke on this occasion, with the
concealment of a considerable treasure, taken in the Conception, of
which some account will be given at the conclusion of the voyage. - E.]
On our passage to that island, the sweetmeats of all kinds were divided
among our messes; and one day a man complained that he had got a box of
marmalade into which his knife could not penetrate, and desired
therefore to have it changed. On opening it, I found it to contain a
cake of virgin silver, moulded on purpose to fill the box, weighing 200
dollars; and on examining the rest, we found five more of the same kind.
These cakes of silver, being very porous, were nearly of the some weight
with so much marmalade, and were evidently contrived for the purpose of
defrauding the king of Spain of his fifths, which he exacts from all
silver procured in the mines of Peru. We doubtless left many such cakes
behind in the Conception, so that this contrivance served them both to
wrong their king, and to deceive their enemies. A similarly vexatious
affair occurred in a prize taken by the Success, in which there was a
considerable quantity of pinos, or masses of virgin silver, in the
form of bricks, artfully plaistered over with clay, and dried in the
sun. As the Spaniards in Peru never burn their bricks, Clipperton and
his people took these for real bricks, and threw a great number of them
overboard as so much rubbish, and did not discover the deception until
four or five only remained.
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