I JO L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
C H A P . V .
Our cruize from the time o f our leaving Juan Fernandes,
to the taking the town of Paita.
AL TH O U G H the Centurion, with her prize, the Carmelo,
weighed from the bay of Juan Fernandes on the 19th of
SeptemBer, leaving the Gloucejler at anchor behind her
yet, by the irregularity and fluctuation o f the winds in the offing,
it was the 22d of the fame month, in the evening, before we loft
fight of the Ifland : after which we continued our courft to the
eaftward, in order to reach our ftation, and to join the Tryal ofF
Valparaijb. The next night the weather proved fquaHy, and we
fplit our maintop-fail, which we handed for the prefbnt; but got
it repaired, and ffet it again the next morning. la th e evening, a
little before fun-fet, we faw two fail to the eaftward ;. on which,
bur prize flood direftly from us, to avoid giving any fufpicion o f
our being cruifers ; whilft we, in the meantime; made onrfelvea-
ready for an engagement,, and fleered, with all. our canvas towards,
the two fhips we had difcovefed. We foon perceived, that one o f
thefe, which had the appearance of being a very flout fhip, made
direftly for us, whilft the other kept at a great diftance. By feven:
o’clock we were within-piftol-fhot o f the neareft, andhad a broad-
fide ready to pour into her, the Gunners having their, matches in
their hands, and onlywaiting for orders to fire; but, as we knew
it was now impoffible for her. to efcape us, Mr. Anfon, before he
permitted us to fire, ordered the Mailer to hale the fhip in Spanijh;;
on. which the commanding officer on board,her,, who proved to.be:
Mr. Hughes, Lieutenant of the Tryal, anfwered us in English ; and;
informed us, that fhe was a prize taken: by the Tryal a few days-
before; and that the other fail at a diftance was the Tryal herfelf,,
difabled in her mails. We were foon- after joined by the Tryal1-,
antLGaptain Saunders, her, Commander,, came on board the Centum
noru
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 171
rtott. He acquainted the Commodore, that he had taken this fhip
the 18th inftant; that fhe was a prime failor, and had coft him thirty-
fix hours chace, before he could come up with her ; that for fome
time he gained fo little upon her, that he began to defpair of taking
her ; and the Spaniards, though alarmed at firft with feeing nothing
but a cloud of fail in purfuit of them, the TryaTr hull being
fo low in the water that -no part of it appeared, yet knowing the
goodnefs o f their fhip, and finding how little the Tryal neared
them, they at length laid afide their fears, and, recommending
themfelves to the -blefled Virgin for proteflion, began to think
themfelv.es fecure. Indeed, their fuccefs was very near doing
honour to their rive Marias; for, altering their courfe in the night,
and fhutting up their windows, to prevent any of their lights from
being feen, they had fome chance of efcaping ; but a fmafl crevice
in one of their fhutters rendered all their invocations ineffectual;
for through this crevice the people on board the Tryal perceived
a light, which they chafed, till they arrived within gun-fhot; and
then Captain Saunders alarmed them unexpectedly with a broad-
fide, when they flattered themfelves they were got out of his
reaeh: how'ever, for fome time after, they flill kept the fame fail
abroad, and it was not obferved that this firft falute had made any
impreffion on them ; but, juft as the Tryal was preparing to repeat
her broadfide, the Spaniards crept from their holes, lowered their
fails, and fubmitted without any oppofltion. She was one o f the
largeft Merchantmen employed in thofe feas, being about fix hundred
tuns burthen, and was called the- jirranzazu. She was bound
from Callao to Valparaifo, and had much the fame cargoe with the
Carmelo we had taken before, except that her filver amounted only
to about 5060/. fterling.
But, to balance this fuccefs, we had the misfortune to find that
the Tryal had fprungher main-maft, and that her main-tcp-maft
had come by the board ; and, as we were all of us Handing to the
eaftward the next morning, with a frefh gale at South, fhe had the
additional ill-luck to fpring her fore-maft: fo that now fhe had
Z 2 not