But The Only Reply They
Made Was By Continuing Their Fire, Calling Us Borachos And Peros
Ingleses, Drunkards And English Dogs; So That At Length I Thought It
Full Time To Begin With Them.
I therefore met them with the helm, and
soon convinced them of their error, giving them so warm a reception that
they soon sheered-off.
We just missed catching hold of them, and as it
fell calm, we continued to engage her for two or three hours at the
distance of musket-shot. A breeze at length sprung up, when we neared
them, and their courage subsided in proportion as we approached. Their
captain still encouraged them to fight, bravely exposing himself in an
open manner, till he was at length shot through the body, and dropt down
dead; on which they immediately called out for quarter, and thus ended
the dispute.
We now commanded them to hoist out their launch; but they answered, that
their tackle and rigging were so shattered that they could not possibly
comply; wherefore I sent Mr Randall and two or three more in our canoe,
who found all her people most submissively asking mercy. Mr Randall sent
the most considerable of the prisoners on board my ship, who informed me
their vessel was La Conception de Receva, belonging to Calao, but last
from Guanchaco, of 200 tons burden, laden with flour, loaves of sugar,
boxes of marmalade, and jars of preserved peaches, grapes, limes, and
such like. She mounted six guns, and carried above seventy men, being
one of the ships that had been fitted out and commissioned purposely to
take us; so that she was the second of these armed merchantmen we had
taken.
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