, 94 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
from being embezzled. This being done, his next care was to
feize on the Cuftom-houfe, where the treafureJay, and to examine
i f any of the inhabitants remained in the town, that he might
know what farther precautions it was neceflary to take ; but he foon.
found, that the numbers left behind were no ways formidable ; for
the greateft part of them (being in bed when the place was fur-
prifed) had run away withfo much precipitation, that they had not
given themfelves time to put on their cloaths. In this general rout,
-the Governor was not the laft to fecure himfelf; for he fled betimes,
half-naked, leaving his wife, a young Lady o f about feven-
teen years o f age, to whom he had been married but three or four
days, behind him; though fhe too was afterwards carried off in
her ftiift, by a couple of centinels, juft as the detachment, ordered
to inveft the houfe, arrived before it. This efcape of the Governor
was an unpleafing circumft'auce, as Mr. Anfon had particularly recommended
it to Lieutenant Brett to fecure his perfon, if poffible,
in hopes that, by that means, we might be able to treat for the
ranfom o f the place : but, it feems, his alertnefs rendered the execution
o f thefe orders impracticable. The few inhabitants, who,
remained, were confined in one of the churches under a guard, except
fome flout Negroes which were found in the town : thefe,
inftead of being ftiut up, were employed the remaining part of the
night toaffift in carrying the treafure from the Cuftom-houfe, and
other places, to the for t: however, there was care taken that they
fhould be always attended by a file of mufqueteers.
The transporting the treafure from the cuftom-houfe to the fort
was the principal occupation of Mr. Brett’s people, after he had got
pofteflion of * the place. But the failors, while they were thus-
bulled, could not be prevented from entering the houfes, which lay
near them, in fearch o f private, pillage; where the firft thing's,
which occurred to them, being the cloaths that the Spaniards in.
their flight had left behind- them, arid which, according to- the
cuftom of the country, were moft of them either embroidered or
laced, our people eagerly feized thefe glittering habits, and put
them
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 195
them on over their own dirty troufers and jackets; not forgetting,
at the fame time, the tye or bag-wig and laced hat, which were
generally found with the cloaths; and, when this praftice was once
begun, there was no preventing the whole detachment from imitating
i t : but thofe, who came lateft into the fafhion, not finding
men’s cloaths fufficient to equip themfelves, were obliged to take
up with women’ s gowns and petticoats, which (provided there was-
finery enough) they made no fcruple of putting on, and blending
with their own grealy drefs. So that when a party o f them, thus
ridiculoufly metamophofed, firft appeared before Mr. Brett, he
was extremely furprifed at the grotefque fight, and could not immediately
be fatisfied they were his own people.
Thefe were the tranfaftions of our detachment on ftiore at Paita
the firft n igh t: but to return to what was done on boaird the Gen,
turion in that interval. I muft obferve, that, after the boats were
gone off, we lay-by till one o’clock in the morning j and then, fuppofing
our detachment to be near landing, we made an eafy fail
for the bay. About feven in the morning we began to open the
bay, and foon after had a view of the town ; and though we had
no reafon to doubt o f the fuccefs o f the enterprize, yet it was with
great joy that we firft difeovered an infallible fignal o f the certainty
o f our hopes : this was by means- of our perfpe&ives ; for through
them we faw an Englijh flag hoifted on the ftag-ftaff of the fort,
which, to-us, was an inconteftable proof that our people were 111
pofteflion of the place. We plied into the bay with as much expedition
as the wind, which then blew off ftiore, would permit us :
and at eleven the TryaPs boat came on board us, leaden with dollars
and church-plate ; when the officer, who commanded her informed
us o f the preceding night’s tranfaftions, fuch as we have
already related them. About two ia the afternoon we anchored
iu ten fathom and a half, at a mile and a half dtftance from the
town, and were eonfequently near enough to have a more 1 name,
diate intercourfe with thofe on ftiore. And now we found, that
Mr. Brett had hitherto gone on- in collefting and removing the
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