From These Prisoners, I Was Informed Of A Rich Ship
Being In The Cove Of Payta, Having Put In There To Repair Some Damage
She Had Sustained In A Gale Of Wind.
On this information I put
immediately to sea, but in purchasing our anchor, the cable parted, and
we lost our anchor.
Our prize being new and likely to sail well, I took
her with us, naming her the St David, designing to have made her a
complete fire-ship as soon as we should be rejoined by the Mercury, in
which there were materials for that purpose. Next day we looked into
Cheripe, whence we chased a small vessel, which ran on shore to avoid
us. Next morning, being near Lobos, our appointed rendezvous with the
Mercury, I sent ashore my second lieutenant, Mr Randal, with two letters
in separate bottles, directing Captain Hately to follow me to Payta, to
which port I now made the best of my way, and arrived before it on the
18th of March, and sent Mr Randal to look into the cove, to bring me an
account of what ships were there, that I might know what to think of the
information we had received from our prisoners.
On the 21st, I steered directly in for the cove of Payta, which I
entered under French colours about four in the afternoon. We found only
a small ship there, of which Mr Brooks took possession in the launch.
About seven p.m. we came to anchor within three quarters of a mile of
the town.
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