the Cutters not appearing, we were in fome pain for them, apprehending
they might have fuffered either from the enemy or the
weather; but we were, relieved from our concern the next morning
when we difcovered them, though at a great diftance, and to
the leeward of the fquadron. We bore down to them and took
them up, and were informed by them, that, conformable to their
orders, they had left their ftation the day before, without having
feen any thing o f the galeon; and we found, that the reafon of
.their.being fo far to the leeward of us waS a ftrong current, which
had driven the whole fquadron to windward.
And here it is neceflary to mention, that, by information which
was-afterwards received, it appeared that this prolongation of our
cruize was a very prudent meafure, and afforded us no contemptible
chance of feizing the treafure, on which we had fo long fixed our
thoughts. For after the embargo was laid on the galeon, as is before
mentioned, the perfons principally interefted in the cargo dispatched
feveral exprefles to Mexico, to beg that the might {till be
permitted to depart: It feems they knew, by the accounts fent
from Paita, that we had not more than three hundred men in all,
whence they infilled that there was nothing to be feared; as the
galeon, carrying above twice as many hands as our whole fquadron,
would be greatly an overmatch for us. And though the Viceroy
was inflexible, yet, on the account of their reprefentation, Ihe was
kept ready for thb fea near three weeks after the firft Order came
to detain her.
When we had taken up the Cutters, all the {hips being joined,
the Commodore made a fignal "to fpeak with their Commander's-;
and upon enquiry into the flock of frefli water remaining oh board
the fquadron, it was found to be fo very flender, that we were
under a neceffity of quitting our ftation to procure a frelh fupply.
Confulting what place was the propereft for this purpofe, it was
agreed, , that the harbour of Seguateneio or Chequitari, being the
neareft, was, on that account, the moft eligible ; fo that it was
immediately refolved to make the belt of our way thither : But
that,
that, even while we were recruiting our water, we might not totally
abandon our views upon the galeon, which perhaps, from certain
intelligence'’of our being employedutChequetan, might venture
to flip out to fea; our Cutter, under the command of Mr. Hughes,
the Lieutenant of: the gtryal's prize, was ordered to cruize off the
port of Acapulco for. twenty-four days ; that i f the galeon Ihould
fet fail in that interval, we might be fpeedily informed of it. In
purfuance o f thefe refolutions we endeavoured to ply to the weft-
ward, to gain our intended port; but were often interrupted in oür
progrefs by calms and adverfe currents : At thefe intervals we employed
ourfelves in taking out the moft valuable part of the cargoes
of the Czrae/e and Carmin prizes, which two ftiips we intended to
deftroy as foon as we had tolerably cleared them. By the firft of
A p ril we were & far advanced towards Seguhteneto, that w |
thought it expedient to fend out two boats, « that they might rangé
along the coaft, to difcover the watering place ; they were gone
fome days, and our water being now very fliort, it was a particular
felicity to us that we met with daily fupplies of turtle, for had we
been entirely confined to fait provifions, we muft have fuffered extremely
in fo warm a climate. Indeed our prelent circumftances
were fufficiently alarming, and gave the moft confiderate amongft
us as much concern as any of the numerous perils we had hitherto
encountered ; for our boats, as we conceived by their not returning,
had not as yet found a place proper to water at, and by the
leakage of our calk and other accidents, we had not ten days water
on board the whole fquadron : So that from the known difficulty
of procuring water on this coaft, .and the little reliance we had on
the Buccaneer writers .(the only guides we had to truft to) we were
apprehenfive of being foon expofed to a calamity, the moft terrible
of any that occurs in the long dilheartening catalogue of the dif-
treffes of a fea-faring life.
But thefe gloomy fuggéftions were at length happily ended ; for
our boats’ returned on the 5th of April, having, about feven miles
to the weft ward of the rocks of Seguateneio, met with a place fit
L I for