264 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
and efcaped with the lofs only o f his hat and his piftol which he
dropped on the ground* Our people purfued him, in hopes of discovering
the village or habitation which he would retreat tB; but as
he had the advantage of being on horfeback, he foon loft fight of
them. Notwithftanding his efcape, they were unwilling to come
back without making fome difcovery, and therefore ftill followed
the track they were in ; till the heat of the day increafing, and
finding no water to quench their thirft, they were firft obliged to
halt, and then refolved to return ; for as they faw no figns of plantations
or cultivated land, they had no reafon to believe that there
was any village or fettlement near them. However to leave no
means untried of procuring fome intergpiirfe with the people, the
officers ftuck up fev,eral poles in the roap to'which were affixed declarations,
written in Spanijh, encouraging th^jinhabitAfits to come
down to the harbour, to traffic with us, giving them the ftrongeft
affurances of a kind reception, and faithful payment for any provi-
fions they fhould bring us. This was doubtlefs a very prudent
meafure ; yet it produced no effeft; for we never faw any of them
during the whole time of our continuance at this port of Chequetan.
Indeed it were to have been wifhed that our men upon the divifion
o f the path, had taken the weftern road inftead o f the eaftern; for
then they would foon have been led to a village or town, which
fome Spanijh manufcripts mention as being in the neighbourhood of
this port, and which we afterwards learnt was not above two miles
from that turning.
And on this occafion I cannot avoid mentioning another adventure
which happened to fome of our people in the bay o f Peta-
plan, as it may greatly affifl the reader in forming a j uflr idea o f the
temper and refolution of the inhabitants of this part of the world.
Some time after our arrival at Chequetan, Lieutenant Brett was fent
by the Commodore, with two of our boats under his command, to
examine the coaft to the eaftward, particularly to make obfervations
on the bay and watering place of Petaplan, a plan of which has been
already inferted in this chapter. As Mr. Brett with one of the
boats
boats was preparing to go on ftiore towards the hill o f Petaplan, he,
accidentally looking acrofs the bay, perceived on the oppofite ftrand,
three fmall fquadrons of horfe parading upon the beach, and feem-
ing to advance towards the place where he propofed to land. On
fight of this he immediately put off the boat, though he had but
fixteen men with him, and flood over the bay towards them: And
he foon came near enough-to. perceive that they were mounted on
very fwhtly horfes, and were armed with carbines and lances. On
feeing him make towards them, they formed upon the beachn and
feemed refolved to difpute his landing, firing feveral diftant foot at
him as he drew near ; till at laft the boat being arrived withm a
reafonable diftance of the moftadvanced fquadron, Mr. Brett ordered
bis people to fire, upon which this refolute cavalry mftantly
ran with great confufion into the wood, through a fmall opening
which is delineated on the plan, gg this precipitate flight one of
their horfes fell down and threw his .rider ; but whether he was
-wounded or not, we could not difcern, for both man and horfe foon
got -up'again,' and followed the'reft into the wood. In the mean
Time the other two fquadrons, were calm fpedtators of the rout of
their comrades; for they were drawn up at a great diftance behind,
out of the reach of our foot, having halted on our firft approach,
and. never advancing a ftep afterwards It was doubtlefs
fortunate for our people that the enemy afted with fo little prudence,
and exerted fo little fpirit; fince had they concealed themfelves till
our men had landed, it is fcarcely poffible but all the boats crew
muft have fallen into their hands; as the Spaniards were; not much
ffiort of two hundred, and the whole -number with Mr. Brett,
only amounted to fixteen. However, the difcovery of fo considerable
a force colleffed in this bay of Petaplan, obliged us conftant-
lv fo keep a boat or two before it : For we were apprehenfive that
the Cutter, which we had left to cruize off Acapulco, might, on
her return, be furprized by the enemy, if (he did -not receive
timely information of her danger. But now to proceed with the
account of the harbour of Chequetan.^