Part 6
The contrivance by which the _Spaniards_ got their ship again, was thus. The _Spanish_ captain seeing by the number of prizes then in the custody of captain _Clipperton_ that he could not spare many of his hands to put aboard the pink, which already had above a dozen passengers, besides the ship’s company: the master of the _Rosary_ privately bid the passengers hide themselves in the hold with the countermaster or boatswain who was a _Frenchman_, ordering them upon a signal agreed on, to seize as many of the _Englishmen_, as should happen to go into the hold; and this plot they believed would succede as the lieutenant drew nearer and nearer to board them; for _Serjeantson_ had but seven or eight men with him. The lieutenant upon his boarding the prize, ordered all that appeared to him, such as _Indians_, _Nigros_ and seamen to go into the great cabin, except the captain and pilot, and then placed a centinel at the door. When he thought he had effectually secur’d his prisoners, he gave orders to hoist the topsails and stand for the commodore: then apprehending no danger, the men heedlesly went down to see what there was aboard. The passengers who were secretly in the hold surprized the men, knocking some of them down with billets of wood: the prisoners in the cabin immediately rushed on the centinel and disarmed him. The master or pilot, according to the sign, coming at the same time behind _Serjeantson_ knocked him down likewise, and ordered them all to be bound; tho’ none were killed as _Serjeantson_ informed me, whom I afterwards found a prisoner at _Lima_.
The _Spaniard_ thus regain’d the possession of his ship; but did not long injoy her; for eagerly running her ashore, he lost her on the rocks, and narrowly escaped with his life: then setting the _Englishmen_ free from their bonds, they all got ashore as well as they could, the _Spaniards_ taking them prisoners the nearest way to _Lima_.
The viceroy of _Peru_ understanding what the _Spanish_ captain had done, order’d a new ship to be built for him at _Guiaquil_, and a general tax among the traders to pay the value of her, as a reward for the service he had done the public. One of _Clipperton_’s men upon examination declared all he knew of our designs in this voyage: and upon these occasions, there is seldom one wanting who will tell any thing to merit what favour he can. Among other discoveries, the viceroy is informed of the cross and bottle at _Fernandes_, with the written signals for captain _Shelvocke_, and that two of _Clipperton_’s men had deserted there: upon which he immediately sends out a small vessel to fetch the two men, and the bottle containing the signals.
We return now to _Shelvocke_ whom we left in the bay of _Conception_ treating with the governer about the ransom of the two ships: but our captain finding he was only trifled with, thought fit to burn the two ships there in the harbour: upon which I shall only observe, that it was a very extravagant humour: for one of the ships, the St. _Fermin_, he owns _p._ 153, was the best fitted out of any of the _Peruvian_ traders, and _p._ 104, he says the loss of his anchor at _Chiloe_ was one of the greatest damages he could have sustained: therefore ’tis much that a man of his pretended knowledge could not save an anchor and cable to supply the former loss of his own: the neglect of which appeared sufficiently afterwards.
After he had set fire to the ships, he took along with him the fruit bark, upon which he orders a deck to be made, calling her the _Mercury_: (an odd name for a vessel that could neither sail nor row) and away we procede towards _John Fernandes_.
In our way thither, the prize and plunder money of the St. _Fermin_ was distributed; and here he says _p._ 157, that captain _Betagh_ indeavours to raise a mutiny but fails in the attempt. Particularly, that I opposed the owners having part of any thing but what was upon freight or mention’d in the bills of lading; and thus he runs off two pages of mere scandal, as if I only was uneasy, whereas all our officers had convincing proofs of his bad principles as well as I. I might have said in common talk among our selves, that I always thought wearing apparel found in chests between decks, should be deemed fair plunder: and may be it is so. Is it just therefore, that what a man delivers as private opinion only, shall afterwards be reap’d up and call’d mutiny; especially by one who has made every thing plunder, and ruin’d and destroy’d near a hundred men in the voyage? But this man is perpetually blaming every body but himself to screen his own villanies.
_Jan. 17^{19}/_{20}._ We arrive at _Fernandes_, where Mr. _Brook_ being the first officer that landed, immediately saw Captain _John_ ---- and _W. Magee_ cut in the tree-bark as aforesaid: upon the news of which every body seemed to rejoyce, but our worthy captain, who would have it an invention of _Brook_’s, for which he used him scurvily before all the company, telling him ’twas a lie. It’s very strange a man can’t believe his own eyes, or would feign a thing of this nature, which any one going ashore might be convinced of in a moment: but _Shelvocke_ hated the mention of it, and feared the truth of it, lest his whole company would be impatient, and persuade him without delay to go to leeward and joyn his consort. _Brook_ had hitherto been a great favourite with _Shelvocke_, but for this unwelcome discovery he is now put upon the black list, as by the sequel will appear.
I shall quote our author’s own words, _p._ 160. “Some of my men accidentally saw the word _Magee_, which was the name of _Clipperton_’s surgeon, and captain _John_ cut out under it upon a tree, but no directions left, as was agreed on by him in his instructions to me. His actions being thus grosly repugnant to his instructions, it was evident that he never meant I should keep him company, or ever joyn with him again.”
Now this is so notorious a falsehood, that every step of captain _Clipperton_ shews the contrary, and proves you the greatest impostor that can be: your very wording of it, shews to what mean shifts you are reduced. Why must it be, _accidentally_ saw the word _Magee_? Was it a meteor that vanished after the first appearance? or if the men did see it by chance, are you so simple to persuade us it was cut in the tree by chance? And then to say _Magee_ was first, and the captains name under it, is not the contrary more probable? Besides, we all saw the captain’s name first: and this is only a stupid indeavour to degrade him. As for the directions agreed upon, they were buryed in the ground, and discovered to the viceroy who sent for them as I said before; and tho’ _Shelvocke_ was ignorant of this at _Fernandes_; yet, at the writing of his book, he well knew it: and therefore the coarse language he gives _Clipperton_ as above, makes himself appear a worse wretch than I expected.
After this, instead of going directly to leeward to meet with the _Success_, he must needs have another touch with the shore; and accordingly steers away to _Arica_, sending the _Mercury_ along shore before him, which took a bark laden with cormorants dung (used there as manure) the owner of which came on board us in the night, and informed us that one of _Clipperton_’s prizes had alarmed the whole coast, and that two _Spanish_ men of war were fitted out from _Lima_ in quest of us: and this is what we believed _Shelvocke_ knew before, by letters taken in the St. _Fermin_. Here he puts four quarter deck guns into the _Mercury_, and hawling her pretty near the shore, gets into her, with my self, Mr. _Stewart_, three more officers, and a few men: then bringing the _Speedwel_ and _Mercury_’s broadside to bear on the town, he begins _Quixot_ like to canonade it; which really had no other effect than to scare away the women and children: for the men contrary to our expectation assembled on the naked beach, and suddenly erected a good breastwork of stones and what rubbish they could find, gallantly standing our fire: but the swell giving us some motion, we could not bring our guns to bear so as to dislodge any of them. _Shelvocke_ being tired with destroying his munition, sends an _Indian_ prisoner under a flag of truce to demand of the town what they would please to give to be rid of us; and tho’ he says nothing of this, _p._ 167, the _Indian_ leap’d out of the boat, swiming through the terrible breakers, which made landing there impossible; delivers his message, and returns faithfully the same way to the boat with answer, That they car’d not a fig for any such _borracho_; that is drunkard, the most contemptuous name they make use of. Upon which our captain called for his pinnace, and taking _Stewart_ with him, goes aboard in a pet; but left the rest of us to unmoor the _Mercury_, and carry her out into the road. At his getting into the boat, not as he says at his departure, the inhabitants gave us a regular hedge fire, and three huzzas, or horse laughs. To confirm what I said about the strict prohibition of ransoming; the owner of the dung bark was forced to do it by stratagem, coming in the night with his money, being 1300 dollars, and pray’d us to carry her three or four mile out, and then turn her adrift, that the bargain might be a secret, or look as if she was not worth our keeping.
_Shelvocke_’s aversion to journal-keeping was so great, that I cannot help inserting the following memorandum to confirm it. One Mr. _Hamilton_ our ensign, a gentleman of a good family in _Scotland_, had a mind, tho’ he was no seaman, to keep a journal for his amusement; and upon taking this bark he enters it thus in his book.
_Feb. 5th. 1720._ “This geud day we a taen a sma vashel lodded wi turd.” This humour causing some laughter in the steerage, _Shelvocke_ lent his son _George_ to inquire the meaning of that uproar. Upon _George_’s report, the captain came down and asked _Hamilton_ what business he had to keep a journal? adding that he was a sawcy fellow, and there should be no pen and ink work aboard his ship: so that he was oblig’d ever after, like _Shelvocke_, to keep his account by dint of memory.
From _Arica_ we sail down along shore, and now _Shelvocke_ enters vigorously upon his own project; which was effectually to rid himself of his officers, having been often heard to say, he hated so many captains. He knew by _Rogers_ his journal, that all the merchantmen in those seas are man’d with _Indians_ or _Nigros_; with which he could easily supply any loss of his own men; and which, far from demanding any share of prize money, would sell for money in another part of the world. Whereupon he sends away fifteen of us in the _Mercury_, seven of which were officers, just in the mouth of the enemy, in the very track of their ships; and with a moral certainty of being taken, if not destroyed, for cruising on their own coast, and in one of their own bottoms. It is very remarkable that one of this ill fated company should be the boatswain, who is always look’d on as the most necessary officer to be left in a ship; the good order of the men depending as much upon him, as the captain himself: and a boatswain was never sent a cruising in this world before. His name was _Nicholas Laming_, a good man, and a good officer. After we were taken prisoners, he died on the road with the great fatigue of his journey.
To put this man’s wickedness yet in a dearer light, give me leave thus fairly to describe the _Mercury_. She was really nothing but a lighter; was built and always imploy’d as such; tho’ not quite so heavy or strong as those in the _Thames_: for as the _Spaniards_ have no wharves, cranes, or carts to load their vessels with in that country; so she differ’d from our lighters, only by being a small matter slighter and shallower, the better to run into shoal water; where the _Nigros_ and _Indians_ do the office of cranes and horses, by wading deep in the water to load her. He built a deck upon her as high as the gunnel, fix’d a mast in her, and then put a gang of his ships oars into her: one of which I measur’d, finding it thirty three foot in length, and so heavy that no less than three men could row with one of them: beckets having been fix’d to the looms for the easier managing of them.
Now I appeal to any impartial judge of a ship or bark, how it was possible for the men, if standing, to row with such an oar in such a vessel: for they must at each stroke indanger their knuckles against the deck before the blade could be raised out of the water: and if sitting, ’tis still worse, because there’s no foot-hold; moreover the man at the handle could not extend his arms to fetch a stroke. Then if we consider her as to her sailing, she would go well enough right afore it, provided it blew strong enough: but upon a wind, the meanest capacity may imagine what she could do, as having no gripp of the water.
In this notable imbarkation were we sent to seek our fortunes; and I believe ours to be the first company that ever was order’d to cruise in a lighter. This being the last time he was likely to have the pleasure of using me ill, he resolved to do it in a manner peculiar to himself: all the rest having the favour of knowing their orders an hour or two before. Immediately upon my receiving the message, that I must go in the _Mercury_, I went down to lash my hammack in the _Speedwel_: then taking my money bag out of my chest, I seal’d and deliver’d it to Mr. _Hendrie_ then our purser, telling him I expected no account of it, till it pleased God we met in _England_. _Shelvocke_ who had set a spy to watch my words and looks, now calls up all hands, and ask’d them if they thought they were going for a sacrifice, using me in a manner too scandalous to be recorded. After this, our commander captain _Hatley_ and the rest of us got into the vessel and put off, steering along shore to the _northward_. We cruised four or five days and landed twice at the isle of _Lobos_, where _Shelvocke_ promis’d to leave instructions, but we found none: and if he intended we should joyn him again, he would have told us his design of going in to plunder the little town of _Payta_, where we could easily have joyn’d him, having the rich prize (as he calls her) twelve days in our hands before we were all taken. During our cruise, we took one small bark tho’ he says two, p. 177, and that of no value: after which we took an old _English_ pink bound from _Panama_ to _Lima_, which _Shelvocke_ says at random was worth 150000 dollars, tho’ he never saw the vessel, or knew what was in her: and I am sure we found no money at all aboard her; for she was bound in her ballast with a small parcel of pedlary ware from _Panama_ to _Lima_: but were it from _Lima_ to _Panama_ there probably had been money in her. We all got aboard the prize, except a hand or two left to take care of the _Mercury_, and kept cruising between _Lobos_ and cape _Blanco_; and while we hop’d to be taken up by our faithful commander _Shelvocke_, we fell into the hands of one of the _Spanish_ cruisers of 30 guns, called the _Brilliant_: which after we struck, continu’d their fire into the _Mercury_ ’till they destroyed her, tho’ the men very providentially escaped and were made prisoners with us. As soon as the _Spaniards_ boarded the said pink to strip and rifle us, about ninety six moidores taken from the _Portuguese_ off cape _Frio_ were found upon _Hatley_, for which he indeed was us’d but scurvily--And this is the fair light I promised, p. 30. when I was treating of this story before.
After leaving us, the next thing remarkable is his long story of escaping the _Peregrine_ a _Spanish_ man of war at _Payta_: which account as it is a wild story full of abominable romance and vain glory, I shall answer it particularly: for _Hatley_ and all of us were sufficiently inform’d of the whole affair, as soon as we were set ashore at _Payta_, which was in a day or two after this thing happen’d.
_Shelvocke_ to magnify his own exploits, does well to magnify the force of his enemy. He says, the _Peregrine_ had upwards of 450 men, and mounted 56 guns: I will allow him that she carry’d 40, but never more; for I was aboard her afterwards at _Lima_; and I believe when he met with her, she had 350 men aboard, but such a mixt crew of ignorant creatures, that I am certain twenty expert seamen would do more execution than all they together. As for the commander of her, whom _Shelvocke_ calls an admiral, he was a _Creolian_, a mere fresh waterman, who never saw any action before: and as for the people aboard him, they were composed of _Nigros_, _Mestizos_ and _Indians_; besides which there were not above a dozen white faces in all: for this ship was purposely design’d to carry the late viceroy prince _Santo Bueno_, his family and retinue to _Acapulco_; but in the mean time order’d a short cruise on the coast. She sail’d so heavy that the _Spaniards_ never expected she would be of any use against the _English_ privatiers: and for that reason, put all their good able men aboard the other three cruisers, the _Zelerin_, _Brilliant_ and _San Francisco_, which were light ships and good sailers. The _Peregrine_ was so unable and unwilling too, that if she had not found the _Speedwel_ in harbour, she would never have follow’d her to sea; for we were told at _Payta_, that the first fire from the _Speedwel_ terrify’d the enemy so very much, that they could not tell whether they were really dead or alive. They all immediately ran from their quarters, and the very steersman who had the helm, quitted it: so that the ship which was then close hawl’d standing in, came with her head sails in the wind, and muzzled her self; that is, she lay bobbing up and down, with her sails flapping against the mast: and how could it be otherwise, where there was only a few good officers among a mere mob of black people fear’d out of their wits. The commander and his officers did what they could to bring them to their duty: they beat them, swore at them, and prick’d them in the buttocks, but all would not do; for the poor devils were resolved to be frighted: most of them run quite down in the hold, while others were upon their knees praying the saints for deliverance. The _Speedwel_ did not fire above eight or nine guns; and as they were found sufficient, _Shelvocke_ had no reason to waste his powder: but ’tis plain the _Peregrine_ might easily have run him aboard, if there had been but a few good seamen to stand by the bowlines and braces. However, this panic of theirs gave _Shelvocke_ a fair opportunity to get his men aboard, cut his cable, and go away right afore the wind. This is the plain truth of the matter, which every body was agreed in: for I heard of it at several places; tho’ _Shelvocke_ has cook’d up a formal story of a desperate ingagement to deceive those who knew him not, into a wondrous opinion of his conduct. He talks of his ship being greatly shatter’d in the fight, and several of the enemy kill’d; but ’tis all bluster: there was not a drop of blood spilt: for if the _Peregrine_ did fire a few guns, their confusion prevented them doing any mischief. And _Shelvocke_’s killing some of the enemy is very unlikely, when so many of them run down and hid themselves.
’Tis impossible for words to express the baseness of captain _Shelvocke_ in puting together so much reproachful language utterly void of truth and reason, as there is from p. 176 to 180. All the malice of his book is here sum’d up in a body. He says I mutinied about going into the _Mercury_, and insinuates that I threaten’d his life. This is a very poor charge of his, after contriving so plausible a scheme to destroy us. But I remember I answer’d these words p. 53, when we had just doubled cape _Horne_. As for his accusation of mutiny, ’tis as weak as the other: for tho’ ’tis evident we were deliver’d up as a prey, yet _Shelvocke_ had gone such lengths with us, that he would call even a wry face mutiny: and my whole account of his transactions is full of answer to this sort of calumny. Then he says I prevail’d on _Hatley_ to run away with the prize, plying him with liquor for that purpose: and runs on a long formal story of the wickedness of this thing, when I have made it plain she had no money, or any thing valuable aboard. Does not _Shelvocke_’s great ignorance in these facts demonstrate that these false accounts in his book were all invented here at home?
After this he accuses me with discovering to the enemy the secrets of our expedition, for which I was us’d respectfully, and made an officer. It must be great weakness in _Shelvocke_ to fancy he had any secrets to discover, after he had alarm’d all the coast himself: besides the _Spaniards_ knew well enough what we came there for; therefore ’tis childish to talk of secrets: indeed _Shelvocke_ kept his own private designs a secret from us, which I dare say was no intention of the voyage; and I could not have known the places of rendezvous, without the help of Mr. _Taylor_’s journal. The reason of my being us’d respectfully is this.--_Don Pedro Midranda_, the admiral who took us, had a personal esteem for Sir _Charles Wager_, and I have reason to believe was formerly his prisoner. The _Spanish_ admiral had been treated with great candour and generosity by Sir _Charles_: and upon examination, finding that I gave a good account of Sir _Charles_, he was pleas’d to shew us great favours for his sake. It was owing to this, that I and all but captain _Hatley_ met with kind treatment: for my own part, I had the honour to eat at his table all the time we were aboard; where he seldom fail’d to toast Sir _Charles Wager_, at every meal. Then it’s plain the aforesaid guilt of _Hatley_’s made that difference between him and the rest.
He says I was made an officer, and that I desired of my new captain, if we had the good luck to take _Shelvocke_, I might have the honour of boarding him first.
After such vile procedings, by my troth I believe no body would think it an honour to board captain _Shelvocke_: but I deny that I ever said so, and whatever any of us said, he can only ghess at it. ’Tis certain we had reason to think and speak ill enough of him; since it was evident he got rid of us to serve a turn. However, as we were now treated much civiler than it was in _Shelvocke_’s nature to allow of; I frankly own there was not a man among us, but would gladly have seen him fall into the same admiral’s hands: for in a very few days after this, _Shelvocke_ rids himself of eleven more of his men, whom he sent under _James Hopkins_, one of his mates, aboard an empty bark not worth a groat, which he calls the St. _David_, p. 180, leaving them to shift for themselves, with no more than a week’s provision: after which they were compell’d to surrender among the _Indians_: and one of them, _John Gundy_, born at _Plymouth_ dock, had his throat cut for not stripping immediately: the rest I saw prisoners with us at _Lima_. _Shelvocke_ is modestly silent upon this article, saying only, p. 187, that he was oblig’d to leave the St. _David_ to cruise off _Payta_: but not a word of the mate and his ten men.