cafe, confidered of a method of carrying them off the Ifland, and of
joining their old (hip the Centurion again at Macao : That this method
was to haul the Sfanijh bark on fhore, to faw her afunder, and
to lengthen her twelve feet, which would enlarge her to near forty
ton burthen, and would enable her to carry them all to China :
That he had confulted the Carpenters, and they had agreed that
this propofal was very feafible, and that nothing was wanting to
execute it, but the united refolution and induftry of the whole
body : And having added, that for his own part he would {hare the
fatigue and labour with them, and would expeft no more from any
man than what he, the Commodore himfelf, was ready to fubmit
to ; he concluded with reprefenting to them, the importance of
faving time ; urging that, in order to be the better fecured at all
events, it was expedient to fet about the work immediately, and to
take it for granted, that the Centurion would not be able to put
back (which was indeed the Commodore’s fecret opinion); fince
i f (he did return, they (hould only throw away a few days application
: but i f {he did not, their fituation, and the feafon of the
year, required their utmoft difpatch.
Thefe remonftrances, though not without effedt, did not at firft
operate fo powerfully as Mr. Anfon could have wifhed : He indeed
raffed their fpirits, by (hewing them the poffibility of their
getting away, o f which they had before defpaired; but then, from
their confidence in this refource, they grew lefs apprehenfive of
their fituation, gave a greater fcope to their hopes, and flattered
themfelves that the Centurion would be able to regain the Ifland,
and prevent the execution o f the Commodore’s fcheme, which they
could eafity forefee would be a work of confiderable labour: Hence
it was fome days before they were all of them heartily engaged
in the projedt; but at laft, being convinced of the impoflibility of
the (hip’s return, they betook themfelves zealoufly to the different
talks allotted them, and were as induftrious and as eager as their
Commander could defire •, punctually affembling by day-break at
the rendezvous, whence they were diftributed to their different
employ-
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 323
employments, which they followed with unufual vigour till night
came on. .
And here I muff interrupt the courfe of this tranfaction to relate
an incident, which for a ffiort time gave Mr. Anfon more
concern than all the preceding difafters. A few days after the (hip
was driven off, fome of the .people on Ihore cried out, a fail.
This fpread a general joy, every one fuppofing that it was the
{hip returning; but prefently a fecond fail was defcried, which
quite deftroyed their firft conjeaure, and made it difficult to guefs
what they were. The Commodore eagerly turned his glafs towards
them, and faw they were two boats ; on which it immediately occurred
to him, that the Centurion was gone to the bottom, and
that thefe were her two boats coming back with the remains of
her people; and this fudden and unexpeaed fuggeftion wrought
on him fo powerfully, that, to conceal his emotion, he was obliged
(without fpeaking to any one) inftantly to retire to his tent,
where he paft fome bitter moments, in the firm belief that the flnp
was loft, and that now all his views of farther diftreffing the enemy,
and of ftill fignalizing his expedition by fome important exploit,
were at an end.
However he was foon relieved from thefe difturbing thoughts,
by difcovering that the two boats in the offing were Indian Proas s
and perceiving that they made towards the (hare, he directed every
appearance that could give them any fufpicion to be removed, concealing
his people in the adjacent thickets, ready to fecure the Indians
when they (hould land : But, after the Proas had flood in
within a quarter of a mile of the beach, they fuddenly ftopt (hort,
and remaining there motionlefs for near two hours, they then got
under fail again, and fleered to the fouthward. Let us now return
to the projedted enlargement of the bark.
I f we examine how they were prepared for going through with
this undertaking, on which their fafety depended, we (hall find,
that, independent of other matters, which were of as much eon-
fequence, the lengthning of the bark alone was attended with great
■ T t 2 difficulty.