*74
ward in fearch of her : And to prevent her from paffing by us in
the dark, we brought to every night; and the Gkueejler, whole
Ration was a league within us towards the fhore, carried a light
which the Cutter could not hut perceive, i f fhe kept along fhore,
as we fuppofed Ihe would do; befides, as a farther fecurity, the
Centurion and the Gloucejler alternately fhewed two falfe fires every
half hour. Indeed, had £he efcaped us, lhe would have found orders
in the canoe to have returned immediately before Acapulco,
where Mr. Anfon propofed to cruize for her fome days.
By Sunday, the 2d of May, we were advanced within three leagues
o f Acapulco, and having feen nothing of our boat, we gave her over
as loft, which befides the compaffionate concern for our fit ip -
mates, and for what it was apprehended they might have fuffered,
was in itfelf a misfortune, which, in our prefent fcarcity of hands,
we were all greatly interefted in : Since the crew o f the Cutter, confiding
of fix men and the Lieutenant, were the very flower o f our
people, purpofely pick’d out for this fervice, and known to be every
one of them of tried and approved-refolution, and as fkilful feamen
as ever trod a deck. However, as it was the general belief among
us that they were taken and carried into Acapulco, the Commodore’s
prudence fuggefted a projedt which we hoped would recover them.
This was founded on our having many Spanijh and Indian prifoners
in our pofleffion, and a-number of fick Negroes, who could be o f
no fervice to us in the navigating of the fhip. The Commodore
therefore wrote a letter the fame day to the Governor of Acapulco,
telling him that he would releafe them all, provided the Governor
returned the Cutter’s crew. This letter was difpatched in the
afternoon by a Spanijh officer, of whole honour we had a good
opinion, and who was furnifhed with a launch belonging to one of
our prizes, and a crew of fix other prifoners, who gave their parole
for their return. The Spattijh officer too, befides the Commodore’s
letter, carried with him a joint petition figned by all the reft of the
prifoners, befeeching the Governor to acquiefce in the terms propofed
for their liberty. From a confideration of the number of our
prifoners, and the quality of fome of them, we did not doubt but
3 ‘ he
the Governor would readily comply with Mr. Anfon's, propofal, and
therefore we kept plying on and off the whole night, intending to
keep well in with the land, that we might receive an anfwer at the
limited time, which was the next day, being Monday: But both
on the Monday and Tuefday we-were driven fo far off fhore, that
we could not hope that any anfwer could reach us ; and even on
the IVednejday morning we found ourfelves fourteen leagues from
the harbour of Acapulco \ however, as the wind was then favourable,
we prefied forwards with all our fail, and did not doubt of
getting in with the land that afternoon. Whilft we were thus
ftanding in, the centinel called out from the maft-head, that he
faw a boat under fail at a confiderable diftanc-e to the Soufh-eaft-
ward : This we took for granted was the anfwer of the Governor
to the Commodore’s meffage, and we inftantly edged towards her ;
but as we-approached her, we found to our unfpeakable joy, that-
it was our own Cutter. And though while foe was ftill at a dif-
t-ance, w;e imagined that fhe had been difcharged out of the port
of Acapulco by the Governor; yet when fhe drew nearer, the wan
and meagre countenances o f the crew, the length o f their beards,
and the feeble and hollow tone of their voiees, convinced us that
they had fuffered much greater hardfoips than could be expedted
from even the feverities of a Spanijh prifen. They were obliged
to be helped into the fhip, and were immediately put to bed,
where by reft, and nourifhing diet, which they were plentifully
fupplied with from the Commodore’s table, they recovered their
health and vigour apace. And now we learnt that they had kept
the fea the whole time of their abfence; which was above fix
weeks ; that when they had finifoed their cruize before Acapulco,
and had juft begun to ply to the weftward in order to join the
fquadron, a ftrong adverfe current had forced them down the
coaft to the eaftward, in fpite of all their efforts to the contrary;
that at length their water being all expended, ■ they were obliged
to fearch the coaft farther on to the eaftward, in queft of fome
convenient landing-place, where they might get a frefh fupply;
that in this diftrefs they ran upwards e f eighty leagues to lee-
N n 2 ward,