difperfed feveral o f our men along the beach, whofe bufinefs it was
to turn them on their backs when they came to land; and the turtle
being thereby prevented from getting away, we brought them
off at our leifure. By this means we not only fecured a fufficient
flock for the time we ftaid on the Ifland, but we carried a number
of them with us to fea, which proved of great fervice both in
lengthning out our ftore.of provifion, and in heartning the whole
crew with an almoft conftant fupply of frefh and palatable food.
For the turtle being large, they generally weighing about 200 lb.
weight each, thofe we took with us lafted near a month: So that
before our flore was Ipent, we met with a frelh recruit on the coaft
of Mexico, where in the heat of the day we often faw great numbers
of them faft afleep, floating on the furface of the water. Upon
difcovering them, we ufually fent out our boat with a man in the
bow, who was a dextrous diver : And as the boat came within a
few yards of the turtle, the diver plunged into the water, taking
care to rife clofe upon it, when feizing the Ihell near the tail, and
preffing down the hinder parts, the turtle was thereby awakened
and began to ftrike with its claws, which motion fupported both it
and the diver,, till the boat came up and took them in. By this
management we never wanted turtle for the fucceeding four months
in which we continued at fea; and though when at the Ifland o f
Quibo, we had already been three months on board, without other-
wife putting our foot on thore, than in a few days we flayed there
(except thofe employed in the attack of Paita) yet in the whole
feven months, from our leaving Juan Fernandes to our anchoring
in the harbour o f Chequetan, we buried no more in the whole fqua-
dron than two men j a mofl inconteftible proof, that the turtle on
which we fed for the four laft months o f this term, was at leaft
innocent, i f not fomething more.
Confidering the fcarcity o f other provifion s on fbrae part o f the
coaft of the fouth feas, it appears wonderful that a fpecies o f food
lo very palatable and falubrious as turtle, and there fo much abounding,
fliould be profcribed by the Spaniards as unwholefome, and
little
little lefs than poifonous. Perhaps the ftrange appearance of this
animal may have been the foundation of this ridiculous and fuper-
ftitious averfion, which is ftrongly rooted in the inhabitants of thofe
countries, and-of which we had many inftances during the courfe
of this navigation. I have already.obferved that we put our Spanijh
prifoners on fhore at Paita, and that the Gloucejler fent theirs to
Manta-, but as we had taken in our prizes fome Indian and Negro
Haves, we did not difmifs them with their mafters, but continued
them'on board as out crews were thin, to affift in navigating our
fhips. Thefe poor, people being poflefled with the prejudices of
the country they came from, were aftonilhed at our feeding on-
turtle, and feemed fully perfuaded that it would foon deftroy u s ;
but finding that none of us died, nor even fuffered in our health-
by a continuation of this diet, they at laft got fo far the better of
their averfion, as to be perfuaded to tafte it, to which the abfence-
of all other kinds of frefh provifions might not a little contribute.
However it was with great reluctance, and very fparingly, that
they firft began to eat of it ; But the relifti improving upon them
by degrees, they at laft grew extremely fond of it, and preferred it
to every other kind of food, and often felicitated each other on
the happy experience they had acquired, and the luxurious and
plentiful repafts it would be always in their power to procure, when-
they fliould again return back to their country. Thofe who are acquainted
with the manner of life of thefe unhappy wretches, need
not be told, that next to large draughts of fpirituous liquors, plenty
of tolerable food is the greateft joy they know, and confequently
the difcovering the means of being always fupplied with what
quantity they pleafed, o f a food more delicious to the palate than
any their haughty Lords and Mafters could indulge in, was doubt-
lels a circumftance, which they confidered as the mofl fortunate
that could befal them. After this digrefiion, which the prodigious
quantity of turtle on- this Ifland of £>uibo, and the flore of it
we thence took to fea, in fome meafure led me into» I fliall now
return to our own proceedings.
In