i6 z L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
horizon. Whilft (he advanced, we had great hopes (he might prove
o f our own fquadron; but as, at length, (he (leered away to the eaft-
ward, without haling-in for the Ifland, we thence concluded (he
mult be a Spaniard. And now great difputes were fet on foot about
the poffibility of her having difeovered our tents on ffiore, fome of
us ftrongly iufifting, that (he had doubtlefs been- near enough to
have perceived (bmething that had given her ajealoufy of an enemy,
which had occafioned her ftanding-to the eaftward, without
haling-in : however, leaving thefe contefts to be fettled afterwards,
it was refolved to purfue her; and, the Centurion being in the
greateft forwardnefs, we immediately got all our hands on board,
fet up our rigging, bent our fails, and by five in the afternoon got
under fail. We had at this time very little wind, fo that all the
boats were employed to tow us out of the bay; and even what
wind there was lafted only long enough to give us an offing o f two
or three leagues, when it flatted to a calm. The night coming on,
we loft fight of the chace, and were extremely impatient for the
return of day-light, in hopes to find that (he had been becalmed as
well as we: though, I muft confefs, that her greater diftance from
the land was a reafonable ground for fulpedling the contrary,-as
we, indeed, found in the morning, to our great mortification j for,
though the weather continued perfectly clear, we had no fight of
the (hip from the maft-head. But, as we were now fatisfied that
it was an enemy, and the firft we had feen in thele feas, we refolved
not to give over the fearch lightly ; and, a fmall breeze fpringing
up from the W. N. W, we got up our top-gallant mails .and yards,
fet all the fails, and fleered to the S. E, in hopes of retrieving our
chace, which we imagined to be bound to Valparaijo. We continued
on this courfe all that day and the next; and then, not
getting fight of our chace, we gave over the purfuit, conceiving,
that by that time (he muft, in all probability, have reached her
Port. Being therefore determined to return to. Juan Fernandes,
we haled up to the. S. W , with that view, having but very little
wind till the iath, when, at three in the morning, there fprung
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 163
up a freffi gale from the W. S. W , which obliged us to tack and
ftand to the N. W . At day-break we were agreeably furprifed
with the fight of a fail on our weather-bow, between four and five
leagues diftant. We immediately crowded all the fail we could,
and flood after her, and foon perceived it not to be the fame (hip.
we originally gave chace to. She, at firft, bore down upon us,:
fhewing Spanijh colours, and making a fignal as to her confort;
but, oblerving that we did not anfwer her fignal, (he inftantly
loofed clofe to the wind, and flood to the fouthward. Our people
were how all in fpirits, and put the (hip about with great brifk-
nefs; and as the chace appeared to be a large (hip, and had mif-
taken us for her confort, we conceived that fhe wa’s a man of war,
and probably one of Pizarro's fquadron: this induced the Commodore
to order all the officers cabbins to be knocked down and
thrown overboard, withfeveral calks of water and provifions which
flood between the guns ; fo that we had foon a clear (hip ready for
an engagement. About nine o’clock we had thick hazy weather,
and a (hower of rain, during which we loft fight of the chace;
and we were apprehendve, i f this dark weather. ffiould continue,
that, by going upon the other tack, or by fome other artifice, (he
might efcape usbut , it clearing up in lefs than an hour, we
found that we had both weathered and fore-reached upon her con-
fiderably, and were then near enough to difeover that (he was only
a Merchantman, without fo much as a fingle tire of guns-. About
half an hour after twelve, being got within a reafonable diftance
o f her, we fired four (hot amongft her rigging ; on which they,
lowered their top-fails, and bore down to us, but in very great
confufion, their top-gallant-fails and flay-fails all fluttering in the
wind : this was owing to their having let run their ffieets and halyards
juft as we fired at them ; after which, not a man amongft
them had courage enough to venture aloft (for there the (hot had
pafled but juft before) to take them in. As foon as the veffel came
within hale of us, the Commodore ordered them to bring-to, under
his lee-quarter; and then hoifted out the boat, and fent Mr.
Saumarez, his firft Lieutenant, to take poffeffion of the prize, with
Y 2 directions