C H A P . II.
Our arrival at ‘Tinian, and an account o f the Ifland,
and o f our proceedings there, till the Centurion
drove out to fea.
IT was the 26th o f Auguft, 1742, in the morning, when we
loft fight o f the Hland o f Anatacan, dreading that it was the
laft land we (hould ever fix our eyes on. But the next morning
we difcovered three other Iflands to the eaftward, which were
between ten and fourteen leagues diftant from us. Thefe were,
as we afterwards learnt, the Iflands o f Saypan, Tinian, and Agui-
gan. We immediately fleered towards Tinian, which was the
middlemoft o f the three, but we had fo much of calms and light
airs, that though we were helped forwards by the currents, yet
on the morrow, at day-break, we had not advanced nearer than
within five leagues of it. However, we kept on our courfe, and
about ten o’clock we perceived a proa under fail to the fouthward,
between Tinian and Aguigan. As we imagined from hence that
thefe Iflands were inhabited, and knew that the Spaniards had always
a force at Guam, we took the neceffary precautions far our
own fecurity : And endeavoured to prevent the enemy as much
as poifible from making an advantage o f our prelent wretched
circumftances, of which we feared they would be fufficiently informed
by the manner of our working the (hip. We therefore
muftered all our hands, who were capable of Handing to their
arms, and loaded our upper and quarter-deck guns with grape {hot j
and that we might the more readily procure fome intelligence of
the ftate o f thefe Iflands, we Ihewed Spanujh colours, and hoifted
a red flag at the fore top-maft-head, hoping thereby to give our
ihip the appearance of the Manila galeon, and to decoy fame of the
inhabitants on board us. Thus preparing ourfelves, and Handing
towards the land, we. were, near enough, at three in the afternoon,
to lend the Cutter in Ihore, to find out a proper birth for the Ihip.
and
and we foon perceived that a Proa put off from the Ifland to meet
the Cutter, fully perfuaded, as we afterwards found, that we were
the Manila fhip. As we faw the Cutter returning with the Proa
in toW,- we inftantly fent the Pinnace to receive the Proa and thé
prifoners, and to bring them on board, that the Cutter might proceed
on her errand. The Pinnace came back with a Spaniard and
four Indians, which were the people taken iii the Proa : And the
Spaniards being immediately examined as to the produce and cir-
cumftances- of this Ifland of Tinian, his account of it furpaffed
even our moft fanguine hopes.- For he informed us, that though it
was uninhabited (which in’ itfeff, eonfidering our prelent defence-
lèfs condition, was a convenience not to be defpifed) yet it wanted
but few of the: accommodations that could be expedted in the moft
cultivated country. In particular he allured- us> that there was
plenty o f very good water,- that there were an- increüïhie dumber
of cattle, hogs, and poultry running wild on the Ifland, all of
them excellent in their kind j that the woods afforded fweet and
four oranges, limes, lemons, and coco-nuts in great abundance,
b'efidfcs a fruit peculiar' to thefe Iflands, which ferved inftead of
bread 5 that from the quantity and goódnels o f the provilidns produced
here, the Spaniards at Guam made ufe of it as a (lore-for'
fupplying the garrifcn 5 and that he himfelf was a Serjeant of that-
garrifon, who was fent hithér with twenty-two Indians to jerk
beef, which he was to load for Guam on board a fmall bark of
about fifteen tun, which lay at anchor near the Ihore.
This relation was received by us with inexpreffible joy : Part of
it we were ourfelves able to verify on the lpot, as we were by this
time near enough to difcover fevëral numerous herds of cattle feeding
in the different places o f the Ifland; and-we did not any ways
doubt the reft of his narration, fince the appearance of the Ihore
prejudiced us greatly in its favour, and made us hope, that not only
our neceffities might be there fully relieved, and our difeafed recovered,
but that, amidft thofe pleafing fcences which were then in
view, we might procure ourfelves fome amufement and relaxation,
after the numerous fatigues we had undergone; For the profpedt of
R r the