and variable winds for near feven weeks. I Ihall now add, that'
when we reached the trade-wind, and it fettled between the North
and the Eaft, yet it feldom blew with fo much ftrength, that the
Centurion might not have carried all her fmall fails abroad without
the leaft danger ; fo that had we been a Angle Ihip, we might have
run down our longitude apace, and have arrived at the Ladrones
foon enough to have recovered great numbers o f our men, who
afterwards perifhed. But the Gloucejler, by the lofs of her main-
maft, failed fo very heavily, that we had feldom any more than
our top-fails fet, and yet were frequently obliged to lie to for h e r :
And I conceive, that on the whole we loft little lefs than a month
by our attendance upon her, in confequence of the various mif-
chances Ihe encountered. During all this run it was remarkable,
that we were rarely many days together, without feeing great numbers'of
birds ; which is a proof that there are feveral iflands, or at
leaft rocks, fcattered all along, at no very confiderable diftance
from our track. Some indeed there are marked in the Spanijh chart
hereafter inferted ; but the frequency of thefe birds feems to afcer-
tain, that there are many more than have been hitherto difcovered ;
For the moft part of the birds, we obferved, were fuch as are
known to rooft on fhore; and the manner o f their appearance fuf-
ficiently evinced, that they came from fome diftant haunt every
morning, and returned thither again in the evening*; fince we never
faw them early or late; and the hour of their arrival and departure
gradually varied, which we fuppofed was occalioned by our running
nearer their haunts, or getting farther from them.
The trade-wind continued to favour us without any fludluation,
from the end of June till towards the end of July. But on the
a6th of July, being then, as we efteemed, about three hundred
leagues from the Ladrones, we met with a wefterly wind, which
did not come about again to the eaftward in four days time. This
was a moft difpiriting incident, as it at once damped all our hopes
o f fpeedy relief; efpecially too as it was attended with a vexatious
accident to the Gloucejler: For in one part of thefe four days
the
the wind flatted to a calm, and the (hips rolled very deep; by
which means the Gloucejler s fore-cap fplitting, her fore-top-maft
came by the board, and broke her fore-yard diredtly in the flings.
As Ihe was hereby rendered incapable of making any fail for fome
time, we were under a neceflity, as foon as a gale fprung up, to
take her in tow ; and near twenty of the healthieft and ableft of
our feamen were removed from the duty of our own fhip, and
were continued eight or ten days together on board the Gloucejler,
to aflift in repairing her damages ;! But thele things, mortifying
as we thought them, were only the commencement o f our dilafters ;
for fcarce had our people, finilhed their bufinefs in the Gloucejler,
before we met with a moft violent (form from the weftern board,
which obliged us to lie to. At the beginning of this ftorm our
Ihip fprung a leak, and let in fo much water, that all our people,
officers included, were conftantly employed about the pumps :
And the next day we had the vexation to fee the Gloucejler, with
her fore-top-maft once more by the board. Nor was that the
whole of her calamity; fince whilft we were viewing her with
great concern for this new diftrels, we faw her main-top-maft,
which had hitherto ferved her as a jury main-ma'ft, lhare the
fame fate. This compleated our misfortunes, and rendered them
without refource : For we knew the Gloucejler's crew were fo few
and feeble, that without our afiiftance they could not be relieved :
Whilft at the fame time our lick were now fo far increafed, and
thofe who remained in health fo continually fatigued with the additional
duty of our pumps, that it was impoffible for us to lend
them any aid. Indeed we were not as yet fully apprized of the
deplorable fituation of the Gloucejler’s crew; for when the ftorm
abated, (which during its continuance prevented all communication
with them) the Gloucejler bore up under our ftern ; and Captain
Mitcbel informed the Commodore, that befides the lofs of
his mails, which was all that was vifible to us, the Ihip had then
no lefs than feven feet o f water in her hold, although his officers
and men had been kept conftantly at the pumps for the laft twenty-
four hours