by Daniel Defoe
began a very warm Fight with her, for the Manof War had both more Guns and more Men than the Fregate after she hadparted with 50 Men on Board the Sloop: While the two Men of War, as we maynow call them, were thus engag'd, the Sloop was in great Danger of beingworsted by the Merchant-Ship, for the Force was too much for her, the Shipwas great, and her Men fought a desperate and close Fight: Twice theSloop-Men enter'd her, and were beaten off, and about nine of their Menkill'd, several other wounded, and an unlucky Shot taking the Sloop betweenWind and Water, she was oblig'd to fall a-Stern, and heel her over to stopthe Leek; during which the _Spaniards_ steer'd away to assist the Man ofWar, and pour'd her Broadside in upon the Fregate, which tho' but small,yet at a Time when she lay Yard-arm and Yard-arm close by the Side of the_Spanish_ Man of War, was a great Extremity; however, the Fregate return'dher Broadside, and therewith made her sheer off, and, which was worse, shother Main-mast thro', tho' it did not come presently by the Board.
During this Time, the Sloop having many Hands, had stopp'd the Leak, wasbrought to rights again, and came up again to the Engagement, and at thefirst Broadside had the good Luck to bring the Ship's Foremast by theBoard, and thereby disabled her; but could not for all that lay herathwart, or carry her by Boarding, so that the Case began to be verydoubtful; at which, the Captain of the Sloop, finding the Merchant Ship wasdisabled, and could not get away from them, resolv'd to leave her a whileand assist the Fregate; which he did, and running a Longside our Fregate,he fairly laid the Man of War on Board just thwart his Hawser; and besidesfiring into her with his great Shot, he very fairly set her on Fire; and itwas a great Chance but that they had been all three burnt together, but ourMen helpt the _Spaniards_ themselves to put out the Fire, and after someTime master'd it: But the _Spaniards_ were in such a terrible Fright at theApprehension of the Fire, that they made little Resistance afterwards, andin short, in about an Hour's Fight more, the _Spanish_ Man of War struck,and was taken; and after that the Merchant Ship also, with all the Wealththat was in her: And thus their Victory was as compleat as it wasunexpected.
The Captain of the _Spanish_ Man of War was kill'd in the Fight, and about36 of his Men, and most of the rest wounded, which it seems happen'd uponthe Sloop's lying athwart her. This Man of War was a new Ship, and withsome Alteration in her upper Work, made a very good Fregate for them, andthey afterwards quitted their own Ship, and went all on Board the _Spanish_Ship, taking out the Main-mast of their own Ship, and making a newFore-mast for the _Spanish_ Ship, because her Fore-mast was also weaken'dwith some Shot in her; this, however, cost them a great deal of Labour andDifficulty, and also some Time, when they came to a certain Creek, wherethey all went on Shore, and refresh'd themselves a while.
But if the taking the Man of War was an unexpected Victory to them, theWealth of the Prize was much more so; for they found an amazing Treasure onBoard her, both in Silver and Gold; and the Account they gave me was butimperfect, but I think they calculated the Pieces of Eight to be about 13Tun in Weight, besides that they had 5 small Chests of Gold, some Emeralds,and, in a Word, a prodigious Booty.
They were not, however, so modest in their Prosperity as we were; for theynever knew when to have done, but they must Cruise again to the Northwardfor more Booty, when to their great Surprize, they fell in with theFlotilla or Squadron of Men of War, which they had so studiously avoidedbefore, and were so surrounded by them, that there was no Remedy but theymust fight, and that in a Kind of Desperation, having no Prospect now butto sell their Lives as dear as they could.
This unlucky Accident befel them before they had chang'd their ship, sothat they had now the Sloop and both the Men of War in Company, but theywere but thinly mann'd; and as for the Booty, the greater Part of it was onBoard the Sloop, that is to say, all the Gold and Emeralds, and near halfthe Silver.
When they saw the Necessity of fighting, they order'd the Sloop, ifpossible, to keep to Windward, that so she might as Night come on, make thebest of her Way, and escape; but a _Spanish_ Fregate of 18 Guns tended herso close, and sail'd so well, that the Sloop could by no Means get awayfrom the rest; so she made up close to the Buccaneers Fregate, andmaintain'd a Fight as well as she could, till in the Dusk of the Eveningthe _Spaniards_ boarded and took her, but most of her Men gat away in herBoat, and some by swimming on Board the other Ship: They only left in herfive wounded _Englishmen_, and six _Spanish_ Negroes. The five _English_the barbarous _Spaniards_ hang'd up immediately, wounded as they were.
This was good Notice to the other Men to tell them what they were toexpect, and made them fight like desperate Men till Night, and kill'd the_Spaniards_ a great many Men. It prov'd a very dark rainy Night, so thatthe _Spaniards_ were oblig'd by Necessity to give over the Fight till thenext Day, endeavouring, in the mean time, to keep as near them as theycould: But the Buccaneers concerting their Measures where they should meet,resolv'd to make Use of the Darkness of the Night to get off if they could;and the Wind springing up a fresh Gale at S. S. W. they chang'd theirCourse, and, with all the Sail they could make, stood away to the N. N. W.slanting it to Seawards as nigh the Wind as they could; and getting clearaway from the _Spaniards_, who they never saw more, they made no Stay tillthey pass'd the Line, and arriv'd in about 22 Days Sail on the Coast of_California_, where they were quite out of the Way of all Enquiry andSearch of the _Spaniards_.
Here it was they chang'd their Ship, as I said, and quitting their ownVessel, they went all on Board the _Spanish_ Man of War, fitting up herMasts and Rigging, as I have said, and taking out all the Guns, Stores,_&c._ of their own Ship, so that they had now a stout Ship under them,carrying 40 Guns, (for so many they made her carry) and well furnish'd withall Things; and tho' they had lost so great a Part of their Booty, yet theyhad still left a vast Wealth, being six or seven Tun of Silver, besideswhat they had gotten before.
With this Booty, and regretting heartily they had not practis'd the sameModeration before, they resolv'd now to be satisfy'd, and make the best oftheir Way to the Island of _Juan Fernando_; where keeping at a greatDistance from the Shore, they safely arriv'd, in about two Months Voyage,having met with some contrary Winds by the Way.
However, here they found the other Sloop which they had sent in with theirfirst Booty, to wait for them: And here understanding that we were gone forSt. _Julien_, they resolv'd, (since the Time was so long gone that theycould not expect to find us again) that they would have t'other Touch withthe _Spaniards_, cost what it would. And accordingly, having first bury'dthe most Part of their Money in the Ground, on Shore in the Island, andhaving revictual'd their Ship in the best Manner they could in that barrenIsland, away they went to Sea.
They beat about on the South of the Line all up the Coast of _Chili_, andPart of _Peru_, till they came to the Height of _Lima_ itself.
They met with several Ships, and took several, but they were loaden chieflywith Lumber or Provisions, except that in one Vessel they took between 40and 50000 Pieces of Eight, and in another 75000. They soon inform'dthemselves that the _Spanish_ Men of War were gone out of those Seas up to_Panama_, to boast of their good Fortune, and carry Home their Prize; andthis made them the bolder. But tho' they spent near five Months in thissecond Cruise, they met with nothing considerable; the _Spaniards_ beingevery where alarm'd, and having Notice of them, so that nothing stirr'dAbroad.
Tir'd then with their long Cruise, and out of Hope of more Booty, theybegan to look Homeward, and to say to one another that they had enough; so,in a Word, they came back to _Juan Fernando_, and there furnishingthemselves as well as they could with Provisions, and not forgeting to taketheir Treasure on Board with them, they set forward again to the South; andafter a very bad Voyage in rounding the _Terra del Fuego_, being driven tothe Latitude of 65 Degrees, where they felt Extremity of Cold, they atlength obtain'd a more favourable Wind, _viz._ at S. and S. S. E; withwhich, steering to the North, they came into a milder Sea and a milderCoast, and at length arriv'd at _Port St. Julien_, where, to their greatJoy, they found the Post or Cross erected by us;
and understanding that wewere gone to _Madagascar_, and that we would be sure to remain there tohear from them, and withal that we had been gone there near two Year, theyresolv'd to follow us.
Here they staid, it seems, almost half a Year, partly fitting and alteringtheir Ship, partly wearing out the Winter Season, and waiting for milderWeather; and having victuall'd their Ship in but a very ordinary Manner forso long a Run, _viz._ only with Seals Flesh and Penguins, and some Deerthey kill'd in the Country, they at last launch'd out, and crossing thegreat _Atlantick Ocean_, they made the _Cape of Good Hope_ in about 76Days, having been put to very great Distresses in that Time for Want ofFood, all their Seals Flesh and Penguins growing nauseous and stinking inlittle less than
