276 L O R D A N S O N ’S V O Y A G E
ward, and found every where fo large a furf, that there was nof
the lead poffibility of their landing ; that they paifed fome days in
this dreadful fituation, without water, having no other means left
them to allay their third than fucking the blood of the turtle,
which they caught; that at laft, giving up all hopes of fuccour,
the heat of the climate too augmenting their neceflities, and rendering
their fufferings infupportable, they abandoned themfelves to
defpair, fully perfuaded that they Ihould perifh by the mod terrible
of all deaths; but that foon after a mod unexpedted incident happily
relieved them. For there fell fo heavy a rain, that on fpread-
ing their fails horizontally, and putting bullets in the centers of
them to draw them to a point, they caught as much water as filled
all their calks; that immediately upon this fortunate fupply they
dood to the wedward, in qued of the Commodore; and being
now luckily favoured by a drong current, they joined us in lefs
than fifty hours from that time, after having been abfent in the
whole full forty-three days. Thofe who have an idea o f the in-
confiderable fize of a Cutter belonging to a fixty-gun (hip, (jaeing
only an open , boat about twenty-two feet in length) and who will
refled: on the various cafuaities that mud have attended her during
a fix weeks continuance alone, in the open ocean, on fo impradi-
cable and dangerous a coad, will readily own, that her return to
us at lad, after all the difficulties which Ihe -adtually experienced,
and the dangers to which Ihe was each hour expofed, may.be
confidered as little, (hort of miraculous.
I cannot finilh the article of this Cutter, without remarking how
llender a reliance Navigators ought to have on the accounts of the
Buccaneer writers : For though in this run of hers, eighty leagues
to the eadward of Acapulco, Ihe found no place where it was pof-
fible that a boat could land; yet thofe writers have not been
afcamed to feign harbours and convenient watering places within
thefe limits, thereby expofing fuch as Ihould confide in their relations,
to the rifque o f being dedroyed by third.
I mud furiher add on this occafion, that when we dood near
the port of Acapulco, in order to fend our meflage to the Governor
and