228 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
to E. i N. On this land we obferved two remarkable hummocks,
luch as are ufually called paps, which bore North from us : There
a Spanijh Pilot and two Indians, who were the only perfons
amongft us that pretended to have traded in this part of the
world, affirmed to be over the harbour of Acapulco. Indeed, we
very much doubted their knowledge of the coaft; for we found
thefe paps to be in the latitude o f 170 : 56', whereas thofe over
Acapulco are faid to be in 17 degrees only,- and we afterwards
found our fufpicions o f their lkill to be well grounded : However,
they were very confident, and allured us, that the height o f the
mountains was itfelf an infallible mark o f the harbour; the coaft,
as they pretended (though falfly) being generally low to the eaft-
ward and weftward of it.
Being now in the track of the Manila galeon, it was a great
doubt with us (as it was near the end o f January) whether ffie was
or was not arrived: But examining our prifoners about it, they
affined us, that ffie was fometimes known to come in after the middle
of February; and they endeavoured to perfuade us, that the fire
we had feen on ffiore was a proof that ffie was as yet at fea, it being
cuftomary, as they faid, to make ufe of thefe fires as fignals for her
direction, when ffie continued longer out than ordinary. On this
reafoning of our prifoners, ftrengthened by our propenfity to believe
them in a matter which fo pleafingly flattered our wiffies, we
refolved to cruize for her fome days; and we accordingly lpread
our ffiips at the diftance of twelve leagues from the coaft, in fuch
a manner, that it was impoffible ffie ffiould pals us unobferved :
However, not feeing her foon, we were at intervals inclined to fuf-
peCt that ffie had gained her port already; and as we now began to
want a harbour to refreffi our people, the uncertainty o f our pre-
fent fituation gave us great uneafinefs, and we were very felicitous
to get fome pofitive intelligence, which might either fet us at liberty
to confult our neceffities, i f the galeon was arrived, or might animate
us to continue our prefent cruize with chearfulnefs, i f ffie was
not. With this view the Commodore, after examining our prifoners
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 225
foners "very particularly, refolved to fend a boat, under colour of
the nighb into t^e harbour of Acapulco, to fee i f the Manila ffiip
was there or not; one of the Indians being very pofitive that this .
might be done without the boat itfelf being difcovered. To execute
this, enterprize, the barge was difpatched the 6th of February,
carrying a fufficient crew and two officers, as alfo a Spanijh Pilot,
with the Indian who had infilled on the facility of this project,
and had undertaken to conduit it. Our barge did not return
to us again till the eleventh, when the officers acquainted Mr.
Anfon, that, agreeable to our fufpicion, there was nothing like a
harbour in the place where the Spanijh Pilots had at firft aflerted
Acapulco to lie ; that after they had fatisfied themfelves in this
particular, they fteered to the eaftward, in hopes of difcovering it,
and had coafted along ffiore thirty-two leagues ; that in this whole
range they met chiefly with fandy beaches of a great length, over
which the fea broke with fo much violence, that it was impoffible
for a boat to land ; that at the end o f their run they could juft dif-
cover two paps at a very great diftance to the eaftward, which from
their appearance and their latitude, they concluded to be thofe in
the neighbourhood of Acapulco; but that not having a fufficient
quantity of freffi water and provifion for their paflage thither and
back again, they were obliged to return to the Commodore, to acquaint
him with their difappointment. On this intelligence we all
made fail to the eaftward, in order to get into the neighbourhood of
that port j the Commodore being determind to fend the barge a
fecond time upon the fame enterprize, when we were arrived within
a moderate diftance. Accordingly the next day, which was the
12th of February, we being by that time confiderably advanced >
the barge was again difpatched, and particular inftrudions given tQ
the officers to preferve themfelves from being feen from the ffiore.
On the 13th we elpied a high land to the eaftward, which we firft
imagined to be that over the harbour of Acapulco; but we afterwards
found that it was the high land of Seguateneio, where there
is afmall harbour, of which we ffiall have occafion to make more
ample