j48 LORD A N S O N ’S V OY AG E
thought he could not fail o f meeting with one in the neighbour- ,
hood o f Chiloe or Baldivia, in which, when he had taken her, he
intended to proceed to the rendezvous'at Juan Fernandes: and’he:
farther infifted, that fhould they light on no prize by the wayi y e t ;
the boats alone would ealily carry' them thither. But this was a
fcheme, that, however prudent, was no ways relifhed by the gene-1
rality of his people; for,, being quite jaded with the diftreffes and
dangers they had already run through, they could not think of pro-
fecuting ah enterprise farther which had hitherto proved fo' difaf-
trous. The common refolution, therefore,' was to lengthen the 1
long-boat; and with that and the reft of the boats to fleer to the
fouthward, to pafs through the Streights of Magillan, and to range
along the Eaft-iide of South-America, till they fhould arrive at Brazil,
where they doubted not to be well received, and to procure a :
paffage to Great-Britain. This projeft was, at firft light, infinitely
more hazardous and tedious than what was propofed by the Cap-1
tain ; but as.it had the air o f returning home, and flattered them
with the hopes of bringing them once more to their native country,
that circumftance alone rendered them inattentive to all its.inconveniences,
and made them adhere to it with infurmountable obfti-
nacy; fo that the Captain himfelf, though he never changed his
opinion, was yet obliged to give way to the torrent, and, in appearance,
to acquiefce in this refolution, whilft he endeavoured un-.
derhand to give it all the obftruciion he could ; particularly in the '
lengthening of the long-boat, which he contrived fhould be of fuch
a iize, that though it might ferve to carry them to Juan Per- j
nandes, would yet, he hoped, appear incapable o f fo long a navi- ■
gation as that to the coaft of Brazil.
But the Captain, by his fteady oppofition at firft to this favourite
projeft, had much imbittered the people againft him; to which
likewife the following'unhappy accident greatly contributed. There t
was a Midfhipman, whofe name was Cozens, who had appeared the I
foremoft in all the refra&ory proceedings o f the crew. He had involved
himfelf in brawls ‘with moft of the officers who .had adhered
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 149
hered to the Captain’s authority, and had even treated the Captain
himfelf with great abufe and infolence. As his turbulence and brutality
grew every day more and more intolerable, it was not in the
leaft doubted but there were fome violent meafures in agitation, in
which Craw .was engaged as4he. ring-leader: for which reafon the
Captain, and thofe about him, conftantly kept themfelves on their
guard. One day the Purfer, having, by the Captain’s.order, flopped
the allowance of a fellow who would not work, Cozens| though
the map did not complain to .him, intermeddled in the affair with
great bitternefs; and groftly infuited the Purfer, who was.then delivering
out provisions juft by the Captain’s tent, and was himfelf
. fuffleiently, violent: the Purfer, enraged by his- fcurribty, and perhaps
piqued by former quarrels,, cried out, a m u t i n y ;. adding,
T H E DOG HA S p i s t o l s ; and then himfelf fired a piftol at Cozens,
which hovyever miffed him : but the Captain, on this outcry, and the
report of the piftol, rallied out of his tent; and, not doubting but
it had been fired by Cozens as the commencement of a mutiny,
he immediately fhot him in the head, without farther deliberation;
and though he did not kill him on the fpot, yet the wound proved
mortal, and. he died about fourteen days after.
However, this incident, though fuffleiently difpleafing to the
people, did.yet, for a conliderable time, awe them to their duty,
and rendered them mote fubmiflive to the Captain s authority ; but
at laft, when, towards the middle of OSlober, the long-boat was
nearly completed, and they were preparing to put to fea, the additional
provocation he gave them, by covertly »averting their project
of proceeding through the Streights of Magellan, and their
fears that he might at length engage a party fufficient to overturn
this favourite meafure, made them refolve to make ufe of the death
of Cozens as a reafon for depriving.him of his command, under
pretence of carrying him a prifoner to England, to be tried for
murder ; and he was accordingly confined under a guard. But they
never intended to.carry him with them, as they too weft knew
what they had to apprehend 011 their return to England, i f their
Com