to have 6000 Pieces of Eight in his Cabin, which was good Booty.
But that which was better than all this to us was, that the Master gave us an Account of two Ships which were behind, and were under Sail for Lima or Panama ; the one having the Revenues of the Kingdom of Chili , and the other having a great Quantity of Silver, going from Puna to Lima , to be forwarded from thence to Panama , and that they kept together, being Ships of Force, to protect one another; how they did it we soon saw the Effects of.
Upon this Intelligence we were very joyful, and assurd the Master, that if we found it so, we would give him his Vessel again, and all his Goods, except his Money, as for That, we told him, such People as we never returnd it any Body: However, the Mans Intelligence provd good, for the very next Day, as we were standing South-West, our Spanish Colours being out, as above, we spyd one of the Ships, and soon after the other; we found they had discoverd us also, and that being doubtful what to make of us, they tackd and stood Eastward to get nearer the Land; we did the like, and as we found there was no letting them go that Way but that we should be sure to lose them, we soon let them know that we were resolvd to speak with them.
The biggest Ship, which was three Leagues a-Stern of the other, crowded in for the Shore with all the Sail, she could make, and it was easy for us to see that she would escape us; for as she was a great deal farther in with the Land than the other when we first gave Chace, so in about three Hours we saw the Land plain a-Head of us, and that the great Ship would get into Port before we could reach her.
Upon this we stretchd a-Head with all the Sail we could make, and the Sloop, which crowded also very hard, and out-went us, engagd the small Ship at least an Hour before we could come up: But she could make little of it, for the Spanish Ship having 12 Guns and 6 Patereroes, would have been too many for the Sloop if we had not come up: However, at length, our biggest Ship came up also, and, running up under her Quarter, gave her our whole Broadside; at which she struck immediately, and the Spaniards cryd, Quarter , and Miserecordia ; Upon this, our Sloops Men enterd her presently, and securd her.
In the Beginning oft his Action, it seems, our Redhand Captain was so provokd at losing the greater Prize, which, as he thought, had all the Money on Board, that he swore he would not spare one of the Dogs, (so he calld the Spaniards in the other Ship) but he was prevented; and it was very happy for the Spaniards , that the first Shot the Ship made towards us, just as we were running up to pour in our Broadside, I say, the first Shot took Captain Redhand full on the Breast, and shot his Head and one Shoulder off, so that he never spoke more, nor did I find that any one Man in the Ship shewd the least Concern for him; so certain it is, that Cruelty never recommends any Man among Englishmen ; no, tho they have no Share in the suffering under it; but one said, D n him, let him go, he was a butcherly Dog; another said, D n him, he was a merciless Son of a B ch; another said, he was a barbarous Dog, and the like.
But to return to the Prize, being now as certain of the smaller Prize as that we had missd the great one, we began to examine what we had got; and it is not easy to give an exact Account of the prodigious Variety of Things we found: In the first Place, were 116 Chests of Pieces of Eight in Specie, 72 Bars of Silver, 15 Bags of wrought Plate, which a Fryer that was on Board would have perswaded us, for the Sake of the Blessed Virgin, to have returnd, being, as he said, consecrated Plate to the Honour of the holy Church, the Virgin Mary , and St. Martin ; but, as it happend, he could not perswade us to it; also we found about 60000 Ounces of Gold, some in little Wedges, some in Dust. We found several other Things of Value, but not to be namd with the rest.
Being thus made surprisingly rich, we began to think what Course we should steer next; for as the great Ship, which was escapd, would certainly alarm the Country, we might be sure we should meet with no more Purchase at Sea, and we were not very fond of landing, to attack any Town on Shore. In this Consultation tis to be observd, that I was, by the unanimous Consent of all the Crew, made Captain of the great Ship, and of the whole Crew; the whole Voyage hither, and every Part of it, having, for some Time before, been chiefly managd by my Direction, or at least by my Advice.
The first Thing I proposd to them all, was, seeing we had met with such good Luck, and that we
a View of fixing our Habitations in the Country; for tho we had the Sloop, we could propose little Advantage by her; for as to cruising for Booty among the Arabians or Indians , we had neither Room, for it or Inclination to it; and as for attacking any European Ship, the Sloop was in no Condition to do it, tho we had all been on Board; for every Body knows that all the Ships trading from Europe to the East-Indies , were Ships of Force, and too strong for us; so that, in short, we had nothing in View for several Months but how to settle ourselves here, and live as comfortably and as well as we could, till something or other might offer for our Deliverance.