We gave him Leave, and accordingly set him on Shore afterwards at Nevis , with ten of his Men; the rest went along with us as Volunteers, except the Carpenter and his Mate, and the Surgeon, those we took by Force: We were now supplyd as well as Heart could wish, had a large Ship in our Possession, with Provisions enough for a little Fleet rather than for a single Ship. So with this Purchase we went away for the Leeward Islands , and fain we would have met with some of the New York or New England Ships, which generally come loaden with Peas, Flower, Pork, &c. But it was a long while before any Thing of that Kind presented. We had promisd the Irish Captain to set him on Shore, with his Company, at Nevis , but we were not willing till we had done our Business in those Seas, because of giving the Alarm among the Islands; so we went away for St. Domingo , and making that Island our Rendezvous,
that they should remain Prisoners for so long as we were in those Seas, but that as soon as we came to the Height of Panama , or if we resolvd to return sooner, then they should be set at Liberty; and to these hard Conditions they yielded.
Our Men found in the Ship 6 Brass Guns, 200 Sacks of Meal, some Fruit, and the Value of 160000 Pieces of Eight in Gold of Chili , as good as any in the World: It was a glittering Sight, and enough to dazzle the Eyes of those that lookd on it, to see such a Quantity of Gold laid all of a Heap together, and we began to embrace one another in Congratulation of our good Fortune.
We brought the Prisoners all to the Island Fernando , where we used them very well, built little Houses for them, gave them Bread, and Meat, and every Thing they wanted; and gave them Powder and Ball to kill Goats with, which they were fully satisfyd with, and killd a great many for us too.
We continud to Cruise [Feb. 2] hereabout, but without finding any other Prize for near three Weeks more; so we resolvd to go up as high as Puna , the Place where I had been so lucky before; and we assurd our Prisoners, that in about two Months we would return, and relieve them; but they chose rather to be on Board us, so we took them all in again, and kept on with an easy Sail, at a proper Distance from Land, that we might not be known, and the Alarm given; for as to the Ship which we had taken, and which was stranded among the Rocks, as we had taken all the Men out of her, the People on the Shore, when they should find her, could think no other than that she was driven on Shore by a Storm, and that all the People were drownd, or all escapd and gone; and there was no Doubt but that the Ship would beat to Pieces in a very few Days.
We kept, I say, at a Distance from the Shore, to prevent giving the Alarm; but it was a needless Caution, for the Country was all alarmd on another Account, viz. about an 130 bold Buccaneers had made their Way over Land, not at the Isthmus of Darien , as usual, but from Granada , on the Lake of Nicaragua to the North of Panama , by which, tho the Way was longer, and the Country not so practicable as at the ordinary Passage, yet they were unmolested, for they surprizd the Country; and whereas the Spaniards , looking for them at the old Passage, had drawn Entrenchments, planted Guns, and posted Men at the Passages of the Mountains, to intercept them and cut them off, here they met with no Spaniards , nor any other Obstruction in their Way, but coming to the South Sea had Time, undiscoverd, to build themselves Canoes and Periaguas, and did a great deal of Mischief upon the Shore, having been followd, among the rest, by 80 Men more, commanded by one Guilotte , a Frenchman , an old Buccaneer; so that they were now 210 Men; and they were not long at Sea before they took two Spanish Barks going from Guatimala to Panama , loaden with Meal, Coco, and other Provisions; so that now they were a Fleet of two Barks, with several Canoes, and Periaguas, but no Guns, nor any more Ammunition than every one carryd at first at their Backs.
However, this Troop of Desperadoes had alarmd all the Coast, and Expresses both by Sea and Land were dispatchd, to warn the Towns on the Coast to be upon their Guard, all the way from Panama to Lima ; but as they were represented to be only such Freebooters as I have said, Ships of Strength did not desist their Voyages, as they found Occasion, as we shall observe presently: We were now gotten into the Latitude of 10, 11, and 12 Degrees and a Half; but, in our overmuch Caution, had kept out so far to Sea, that we missd every Thing which would otherwise have fallen into our Hands; but we were better informd quickly, as you shall hear.
Early in the Morning, one of our Men being on the Missen-top, cryd, A Sail, a Sail; it provd to be a small Vessel standing just after us; and as we understood afterwards, did so, believing that we were some of the Kings Ships looking after the Buccaneers. As we understood she was a-Stern of us, we shortend Sail, and hung out the Spanish Colours, separating ourselves, to make him suppose we were cruising for the Buccaneers, and did not look for him; however, when we saw him come forward, but stretching in a little towards the Shore, we took Care to be so much to Starboard that he could not escape us that Way; and when he was a little nearer, the Sloop plainly chacd him, and in a little Time came up with him, and took him: We had little Goods in the Vessel, their chief Loading being Meal and Corn for Panama , but the Master happend