Every Man Will Do His Duty

by Dean King

  The other strange vessels continued standing in; one of them had the appearance of a coasting brig, the other a fine looking ship; and we were induced to believe her the Nimrod from the description we had received of that vessel. I therefore took a position to prevent her passing the point, when she hauled her wind to go between the island and main, where there is a passage for ships of large burthen, but shortly afterwards bore up, under a press of sail, to run by us, and on his near approach I perceived it to be one of the Spanish vessels that had sailed from Valparaiso before us. I felt satisfied that we had so altered the vessel that they could not know us; besides, how was it possible that they could expect to find the Essex off Callao, when they left her at Valparaiso, beginning to take in provisions and water?

  On her getting into the calms under the lee of the island, I despatched a boat to get the news from her, but recalled her on seeing the guard-boat go on board. I now sent for the captain of the Barclay (Randall), informed him he was at liberty to act as he thought proper with respect to his ship, and that, although his crew had entered with me, they might return to the Barclay, if they were disposed to do so. But as they expressed their determination not to return to that ship, the captain informed me he was entirely at a loss what course to pursue and asked my advice. I at the moment felt as much embarrassment as he; for he was without hands, except two or three who were down with the scurvy, having been constantly at sea for seven months without refreshments. No port on the coast of Peru could afford him a shelter, as our destruction of the armament of the Nereyda, in consequence of the capture of the Barclay, would render the condemnation of that vessel highly probable, if she should again be in the power of the Peruvians; and if the remainder of his crew were all healthy, they would not be strong enough to take her to Valparaiso or any other port of Chili, even if there was nothing to be apprehended from capture by British and Peruvian vessels. I however concluded to give him all the protection in my power, and advised him to remain by me, offering to put on board hands enough to work his vessel, and promised not to leave him until I had put him in a place of safety. With this promise he appeared much pleased and offered his services to me in any way he could prove useful, giving me assurances that he could take me where the British whale-vessels most frequented, advising me, by all means, to proceed to the islands of Gallipagos, keeping at the distance of from thirty to fifty leagues from the land, and on my way looking into Payta. He confirmed, in every respect, the information respecting the British whalers that I had formerly received, and assured me that there were many other vessels of that description, and others engaged in contraband trade, now on the coast; he had no doubt we could find as many as we could conveniently man, among the islands, as well as the American vessels they might have captured. After putting on board the Barclay Midshipman Cowan and eight men, and fixing on Payta and the Gallipagos as the places of rendezvous in case of separation, also furnishing him with suitable signals and giving him instructions to steer such courses as would enable us to spread over as much ground as possible in our track, I shaped my course to the WNW, to run between the rocks of Pelado and the Hormigas, which lies about thirty miles from Callao.

  The town of Callao is the seaport of Lima, from which the latter is distant about three leagues. Callao is an open road-stead; but as the wind here always blows from the southward, and never with violence, and as it is well sheltered from this quarter by the projecting capes, and by the island of St. Lorenzo, it is considered in this sea as one of the safest harbours for vessels. In this place all the trade of Peru centres; it is apparently well fortified by batteries on shore and is said to be well protected, in addition to those, by a formidable flotilla of gunboats. The calms which appear to prevail in the bay seem to render this mode of defence very proper; and if this is the case, it must be very dangerous for hostile vessels to venture beyond the island of St. Lorenzo. Off the point of St. Lorenzo is a very suitable station for a vessel blockading Callao, as she can there, in consequence of the calms, prevent every vessel from going in, as she can run in and have the breeze at the distance of half gun-shot of them, after they have doubled the point, and while they are perfectly becalmed; in this situation, exposed to her guns, the boats can take possession and tow them out.

  While we lay to here, I observed the sea filled with small red specks, and supposed at first that some hog had been killed on board and that part of the blood was floating along side; but on a close examination I perceived them to have at times a very quick motion, and on directing some of them to be caught in a bucket, discovered them to be young craw-fish, of different sizes, but generally from one inch in length to one tenth that size. The ocean appeared filled with them; and from the immense number of birds that kept about this spot, I am induced to believe that no small number of them were daily devoured. They did not appear to be governed by any general laws, each one pursuing his own course, and shifting for himself; no two appearing in the same direction; and it is probable that, as soon as they left the egg, each one began to seek his own subsistence. Two of them were put into a bottle of sea-water, and on some crumbs of bread being thrown in, they seized and devoured them very ravenously.

  About this time I concluded to change the water in which the fish had been put, that was pumped out of the cask off Cape Horn. To this period it had been very lively; but perceiving the water to have a yellow tinge, and feeling apprehensive that it might undergo fermentation, from the food which had at different times been thrown in, I supposed that pure water would be better than that in which it had been so long confined, but concluded it best to produce a gradual change. With this view I put into the bottle about one gill of the water we had taken on board at Valparaiso. The water in the bottle gradually assumed a milky appearance, and next morning I found the fish dead and floating on the surface. This confirmed suspicions we had before entertained of the bad qualities of this water. Doctor Miller, who was in a very low state of health and had been so ever since he joined the Essex, complained of its producing costiveness. I also, and many others, experienced the same effect; it has a disagreeable, brackish taste, and it is with great difficulty it can be made to mix with soap.

  On the evening of the 4th, James Spafford, the gunner’s mate, who had been so unfortunately wounded by accident at Mocha, departed this life, regretted by every officer and man in the ship.2 He had distinguished himself by his moral and correct conduct under my command, and I had intended promoting him to a better situation, so soon as circumstances would admit.

  After this the body of Spafford was committed to the deep, according to the funeral ceremonies of the church.

  We, as I before observed, steered to the WNW, and at two P.M. on the 6th, the man at the mast-head cried out a sail; but on standing toward it, in a short time discovered it to be the Rock of Pelado, bearing NE by N. We soon gave up the chase and stood on our course, as I was anxious to get an offing to fall in with the track of whalers, as, from the best information I could collect on this subject, on this part of the coast they keep at the distance of from thirty to fifty leagues.

  At half past three, a sail was discovered from the mast-head, bearing W NW, and we immediately made all sail in chase of her, the Barclay making every exertion to keep up with us; but by sundown we had run her out of sight astern. At seven o’clock we brought the chase to. She proved to be a Spanish brig from Callao, bound to Conception, but had taken in a load of salt at Oucho, a place a short distance to the north of Callao. The captain and supercargo of this vessel both came on board, and supposing the Essex to be an English vessel, were disposed to give us every information in their power; and, what was of the utmost importance to us, they informed me that an English frigate had been for some time expected at Callao from Cadiz, for the purpose of taking in money; and that the money which was to compose her cargo was nearly all collected. He also informed me that an English armed ship had put in there in distress a few days since, having sprung a-leak; that two English whale-ships had, within a few d
ays, sailed from thence; that they had been sent in for adjudication by the corsairs of Peru, and on examination had been liberated. On inquiry respecting the disposition of the government of Peru towards those of the United States and Great Britain, they informed me that the latter was held in high repute, and its vessels treated with great civility, in consequence of being the allies of Spain; but that the former were held in very little estimation; and that, although war had not actually taken place between Spain and the United States, it was momentarily expected, and every preparation was made in Peru to meet it; that the Americans were notorious violators of their revenue laws (grandes contrabandistas) and neither received nor expected much civility; however, it was the policy of the government of Peru to hold out ideas and the appearance of a strict neutrality, and therefore British vessels were not allowed to dispose of their prizes at Callao. The supercargo of this vessel appeared to be a man of considerable intelligence; and when I inquired where was the most suitable place to proceed to give protection to British vessels and annoy those of the United States, he advised me to go to leeward, observing that the Gallipagos Islands were much frequented by the British whale-ships, and between that and the latitude of the Lobos Islands, I should most likely find many Americans, as the sea thereabouts was full of them. The Barclay was now a great distance astern; but as we ran to the northward under easy sail after leaving the Spaniard, and made flashes at intervals, she was enabled to join us by midnight.

  At daylight in the morning, we stretched away to the westward, leaving the Barclay to steer to the northward, and spread to such a distance as just to see her signals, and closed again at night. This course we pursued until our arrival off Cape Ajugia, where we arrived on the morning of the 10th, and in the course of our run saw but two vessels, only one of which we spoke, knowing them to be Spaniards. She was a small brig from Guyaquil, bound to the southward, and could give us no information whatever. In our run we passed near to the islands of Lobos de la Mare, and Lobos de la Terre; they are two small islands, situated some distance from the continent, and at the distance of five leagues from each other, bearing NNW and SSE; they appear to be perfectly destitute of vegetation and serve as a residence to an immense number of birds, with which the hills were covered. There can be no doubt that an abundance of seals may be caught on them, as in passing we were surrounded with them, one of which we struck with the harpoon. The sea was here also covered with pelicans and various other aquatic birds, feeding on the schools of small fish, which were to be seen in great numbers, constantly pursued by seals, bonetas, and porpoises; and such as attempted to escape their ravenous jaws by jumping out of the water were immediately snapped up by the innumerable swarms of birds that were hovering over them.

  On our arrival off Ajugia, we had another opportunity of witnessing a similar scene; and as the water was perfectly smooth and the winds light, we were enabled to examine it more minutely. We discovered the sea boiling violently in many places, and wherever this was the case, vast numbers of seals, large fish, and birds were apparently in pursuit of small fish. On approaching one of these places, the water had so much the appearance of having been put into action by violent currents, opposed by sunken rocks, that I felt some uneasiness and directed the helm to be put a-weather to avoid it; however, the next one had the same appearance and was equally attended by fish. I therefore steered close to it and saw that in the centre of the agitated spot (which bore the appearance of water boiling in a pot) were myriads of small fish, collected together, and appeared as though it were impossible for them to escape from this violent whirlpool, which was so powerful as to affect considerably the steerage of the ship. Whether this boiling of the water was occasioned by the vast numbers of seals and large fish which kept constantly darting in among the small fry, which were drawn as it were to a focus, I will not pretend to say. It is possible, however, that whales, or some fish perhaps nearly as large as whales, which did not show themselves above the surface, might also have been concerned in the pursuit and occasioned the agitation that so much surprised us; for I cannot think it possible that the seals and bonetas, numerous as they were, could have produced so violent a commotion.

  A breeze springing up, we stood away for Payta, with a view of looking into that port, and at sunset were in sight of the island of Lobos, which lies a short distance to the southward, where we hove to for the Barclay to come up, as we had nearly run her out of sight; and, after speaking her, stretched off under easy sail, and at two o’clock in the morning made sail in shore. The weather at sunrise was hazy and prevented us for some time from seeing the saddle of Payta, which is a remarkably irregular mountain to the south of Payta, and when once seen cannot be mistaken, the highest part making something like a saddle, and running away to a low point to the northward, which is the point forming the harbour of Payta. As we stood in shore we discovered two small sail coming out, and as we approached them were at a loss to know what to make of them; but at last discovered them to be rafts or catamarans, steering by the wind, having each six men to work them. I had at first believed them to be fishing rafts from Payta, but was surprised they should have ventured so great a distance from the land, as we were, when we spoke them, about seven leagues off shore, and was induced, from their strange appearance, to visit them.

  On going along side, I learnt, to my astonishment, that they were from Guyaquil, with cargoes of cocoa, bound to Guacho, a port to leeward of Lima, and had already been out thirty days. They were destitute of water and had no other provisions on board than a few rotten plantains. We, however, perceived a number of fish bones and pieces of fish scattered about the rafts, which induced us to believe that they were enabled to catch an abundance of fish, which no doubt follow them to get the small barnacles and grass with which the logs were plentifully supplied. Nothing can exceed the miserable construction of these floats. Eight logs of from twenty-five to thirty feet in length, with the bark scarcely taken off, and three pieces lashed across with a kind of grass rope, to form the floor; each side is formed of two logs, laid one on another, and the deck is composed of rough logs laid crosswise, and projecting from four to six feet beyond the sides, and all lashed (though very insecurely) together. Forward and aft are some pieces of board from three to four feet in length, stuck down between the logs forming the floor, and serving as a substitute for a keel. A mast is stepped in between the logs of the floor, and, instead of partners, secured by a lashing from side to side, and having the additional security of a stay and a shroud, which is shifted always to the weather side, and to this is hoisted a large lug-sail made of cotton. Their ground tackling consists of some bark, twisted in the form of a rope, which serves as a cable, and a large stone with a stick lashed to it, of about eighteen inches long, for a stock, serves as an anchor; she is steered by a paddle, carries her cargo on the logs forming the deck, and has as a substitute for a caboose, a small quantity of dirt thrown on the logs that project beyond the sides forward. The crews appear equally as miserable in their appearance as the machine they navigate; and it excited no little surprise in our minds when we were informed that the navigation from Guyaquil to Lima, a distance of about six hundred miles, against a constant head wind and frequently rapid current, should be very common with those rafts. This passage takes them two months; and there can be no stronger proof of the mildness of this ocean, so justly, in this part, deserving the name of the Pacific, than the fact, that the loss of those vessels, frail as they are, is very uncommon. Nor can there be a more convincing instance of the unenlightened state of the people of this part of the world than that they should continue the use of such barbarous vessels, when the fastest sailing vessels are so necessary; where materials for building them are so abundant; and where the state of the climate will admit of vessels of such construction as best suits their purpose, without any apprehensions of danger from the violence of the sea. But so far are they behind hand in civilization and intelligence with the rest of the world that the appearance of all the vessels bu
ilt on the Spanish coast of the Pacific (except the few built at Guyaquil) bespeaks the extreme ignorance of the constructor as well as the navigator. There are established at Guyaquil some European constructors, who have built large vessels that have been justly admired in Europe and other parts of the world; but nothing, except the catamarans, can be more clumsy in their appearance, and apparently more unsuitable to the navigation of this ocean, than the miserable vessels employed in the coasting trade of Peru.

  The two catamarans above mentioned had looked into the harbour of Payta and were consequently enabled to give me all the intelligence I required. They informed me there were no vessels lying there except two or three small coasting vessels; and as there was now no necessity for showing ourselves before that place, I shaped my course for the Gallipagos Islands, directing the Barclay to steer WNW by compass, in order that we might fall in with the latitude to the eastward of them, intimating to her commander that I should, from time to time, so vary from this course as to look over as much ground in our way as possible. This method we put in practice until we made Chatham Island, which was on the morning of the 17th. During our run we had no opportunity of correcting our dead reckoning by lunar observations, nor have we had a chance of ascertaining the rate of the chronometer since leaving St. Catharines. We were enabled to discover by our latitude that we had a current of fifteen miles per twenty-four hours, setting to the northward; and from the violent ripples we frequently met with, were induced to believe that its rate was much greater, and concluded it to set also westerly. On our making the land, found we had, since taking our departure from Payta, been set two degrees a-head of our reckoning. We employed ourselves during our passage in getting the magazine in good order for service, as we had been led to expect some resistance from the heavy armed letters of marque that we hoped to meet among the Gallipagos, employed in the whale-fishery. Having understood that calms were very prevalent there, we prepared our boats in the best manner for attacking them, selecting crews for them in addition to their oarsmen; and laid down plans of attack, and established signals for them. The whole, amounting to seven boats, carrying seventy men, were placed under the command of Lieutenant Downes.