BjTa, which near three years before they had left there. This (hip.
they refolved, if poffible, to. carry to Europe, and with, this view
they refitted herin the beft manner they could: but their great difficulty
was to procure a fufficient number of hands to navigate her ;
for aU the remaining failors of thé fquadron, to be met with in the
neighbourhood of Buenos Byres, did not amount to a hundred men.
They endeavoured to fupply this defeft by preffing many of the
inhabitants o f Buenos Byres, and putting on board befides all the.
Englijh prifoners then in their, cuftody, together with a number
o f Portuguefe fmugglers, which they had taken at different times, and
fome of the Indians of the country. Among thefe laflr there was
a Chief and ten o f his followers, which had been furprifed by a.
party o f Spani/h foldiers about three months before. The name of.
this Chief was Orellana-, he belonged to-a very powerful Tribe;
which had committed great ravages in the neighbourhood of Buenos.
Byres. With this motley crew (all of them».except the European
Spaniards, extremely averfe to the voyage) Pizarro fet fail from.
Monte Vedio in. the river, of Plate, about the beginning of November
1745; and the native Spaniards, being no Arrangers-to the difl'atif-
fadtiou o f their forced men, treated both thofe, the.Englifh prifoners,
and the Indians, with great mfolence and barbarity; but more p a r ticularly
the Indians ; for it was common - for the meaneft officers in-
the ffiip to beat them cruelly on the flighted: pretences, and. oftentimes
only to exert their fhperiority. Orellana and his followers,,
though in appearance fufficiently patient and fubmiffive, meditated
a fevere revenge for all thefe inhumanities. As he converfed very,
well in Spanijh (thefe Indians having in time of peace a great inter- •
courfe with Buenos ByresJ, ho a defied to talk with fuch of the Englijh
is underftood that language, and feemed very defirous o f being,
informed how many Englijhmen there were on board, and which..-
they were. As he knew that the Englijh were as much enemies to the
Spaniards as himfelf, he had doubtlefs an intention of difclofing his-
purpofes to them, and making them partners in the fcheme he had
projefted for revenging his wrongs, and recovering his liberty; but
4 nawinnp
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 29
having founded them at a diftance, and not finding them fo precipitate
and vindiflive as he expedted, he proceeded no further with
them, but refolved to truft alone to the refolution of his ten faithful
followers. Thefe, it Ihould feem, readily engaged to obferve his
direftions, and to execute whatever commands he gave them; and
having agreed on the meafures neceflary to be taken, they firft fur-
niffied themfelves with Dutch knives, ffiarp at the point, which,
being the common knives ufed in the ffiip, they found no difficulty
in procuring : befides this, they employed their leifure in fecretly
cutting out thongs from rawhides, o f which there were great?
numbers on board, and in fixing to each end of thefe thongs the'
double-headed ffiot of the fmall quarter-deck guns: this, when -
fwung round their heads, according to the praftice of their country,
was a rnoft mifchievous weapon, in the ufe of which the Indians
about Buenos- Byres are trained from their infancy, and con-
fequently. are extremely expert.. Thefe particulars being in good'
forwardnefs, the execution o f their fGheme was perhaps precipi--
tated by a particular outrage committed on Orellanahiuifelf: for
one of the Officers, who. was a very brutal fellow, ordered Orellana ■
aloft; which being, what he was incapable of performing, the Officer,
under pretence of his.difobedience, beat him with fuch violence,
that, he left him bleeding on the deck, and ftupified for fome
time with his bruifes and . wounds; . This) u-fage undoubtedly
heightened his thirft for revenge, and made him eager and impatient,
till'the means of executing it were in his power; fo that,.
within a day or two after this incident-, he and his- followers-
opened their defperate refolves in the enfuing manner.
It was about nine in the -evening, when many of the- principal-
Officers were on the quarter-deck, indulging in the freffinefs of the-
night-air; the waft© of the ffiip was filled with live cattle, and the-
ferecaftle was manned with its cuftomary watch. Orellana and bis?
companions, under cover of-the night, having prepared their-
weapons, and thrown off their trou-zers and the more cumbrous part:
of their drefs, came all together on the quarter-deck, and drew?
towards..