1685.] THE SPANISH ARMADA. also, chambers, beds, and victuals, are then extraordinary dear. Now I am on the subject, I think it will not be amiss to give the reader an account of the progress of the Armada from Old Spain which comes thus every three years into the Indies. Its first arrival is at Carthagena, from whence, as I have been told, an express is immediately sent overland to Lima, through the Southern Continent, and another by sea to Porto Bello, with two packets of letters, one for the Viceroy of Lima, the other for the Viceroy of Mexico. I know not which way that of Mexico goes after its arrival at Porto Bello, whether by land or sea; but I believe by sea to La Vera Cruz. That for Lima is sent by land to Panama, and from thence by sea to Lima. Upon mention of these packets I shall digress yet a little further, and acquaint my reader, that before my first going over into the South Seas with Captain Sharpe (and indeed before any Privateers, at least since Drake and Oxenham, had gone that way which we afterwards went, except La Sound, a French Captain, who by Captain Wright's instructions had ventured as far as Chepo Town with a body of men, but was driven back again), I being then on board Captain Coxon, in company with three or four more Privateers, about four leagues to the east of Porto Bello, we took the packets bound thither from Carthagena. We opened a great quantity of the merchants' letters, and found the contents of many of them to be very surprising; the merchants of several parts of Old Spain thereby informing their correspondents of Panama and elsewhere of a certain prophecy that went about Spain that year, the tenor of which was, that there would be English Privateers that year in the West Indies, who would make such great discoveries as to open a door into the South Seas which they supposed was fastest shut; and the letters were accordingly full of cautions to their friends to be very watchful and careful of their coasts. This door they spoke of we all concluded must be the 189 passage overland through the country of the Indians of Darien, who were a little before this become our friends, and had lately fallen out with the Spaniards, breaking off the intercourse which for some time they had with them and upon calling also to mind the frequent invitations we had from those Indians a little before this time, to pass through their country and fall upon the Spaniards in the South Seas, we from thenceforward began to entertain such thoughts in earnest, and soon came to a resolution to make those attempts which we afterwards did with Captains Sharpe, Coxon, &c. So that the taking of these letters gave the first life to those bold undertakings: and we took the advantage of the fears the Spaniards were in from that prophecy, or probable conjecture, or whatever it were; for we sealed up most of the letters again, and sent them ashore to Porto Bello. The occasion of this our late friendship with those Indians was thus: About fifteen years before this time, Captain Wright being cruising near that coast, and going in among the Sambaloes Isles to strike fish and turtle, took there a young Indian lad as he was paddling about in a canoe. He brought him aboard his ship, and gave him the name of John Gret, clothing him, and intending to breed him among the English. But his Mosquito strikers, taking a fancy to the boy, begged him of Captain Wright, and took him with them at their return into their own country, where they taught him their art; and he married a wife among them, and learnt their language, as he had done some broken English while he was with Captain Wright, which he improved among the Mosquitoes, who, corresponding so much with us, do all of them smatter English after a sort; but his own language he had almost forgot. Thus he lived among them for many years; till, about six or eight months before our taking these letters, Captain Wright being again among the Sambaloes, took thence another Indian boy about ten or twelve years old, the son of a man 190 DAMPIER'S VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. [CHAP. VII. of some account among those Indians; | an Pur turtle), he should have his son re- 1685.] EXPORTATION OF SPANISH TREASURE. Indians, together with five or six more of that quality, went off to the sloop in their long gowns, as the custom is for such to wear among them. Being received aboard, they expected to find everything friendly, and John Gret talked to them in English; but these Englishmen, having no knowledge at all of what had happened, endeavoured to make them slaves, as is commonly done; for upon carrying them to Jamaica they could have sold them for £10 or £12 a-piece. But John Gret and the rest perceiving this, leapt all overboard, and were by the others killed every one of them in the water. The Indians on shore never came to the knowledge of it; if they had, it would have endangered our correspondence. Several times after, upon our conversing with them, they inquired of us what was become of their countrymen; but we told them we knew not, as, indeed, it was a great while after that we heard this story; so they concluded the Spaniards had met with them, and killed or taken them. But to return to the account of the progress of the Armada, which we left at Carthagena. After an appointed stay there of about sixty days, as I take it, it goes thence to Porto Bello, where it lies thirty days and no longer. Therefore the Viceroy of Lima, on notice of the Armada's arrival at Carthagena, immediately sends away the King's treasure to Panama, where it is landed, and lies ready to be sent to Porto Bello upon the first news of the Armada's arrival there. This is the reason partly of their sending expresses so early to Lima, that upon the Armada's first coming to Porto Bello, the treasure and goods may lie ready at Panama to be sent away upon the mules; and it requires some time for the Lima fleet to unlade, because the ships ride not at Panama, but at Perica, which are three small islands two leagues from thence. The King's treasure is said to amount commonly to about 24,000,000 pieces of eight; besides abundance of merchants' 191 money. All this treasure is carried on mules, and there are large stables at both places to lodge them. Sometimes the merchants, to steal the custom, pack up money among goods, and send it to Venta de Cruces, on the River Chagres; from thence down the river, and afterwards by sea to Porto Bello: in which passage I have known a whole fleet of periagoes and canoes taken. The merchants who are not ready to sail by the thirtieth day after the Armada's arrival are in danger to be left behind; for the ships all weigh the thirtieth day precisely, and go to the harbour's mouth. Yet sometimes, on great importunity, the Admiral may stay a week longer; for it is impossible that all the merchants should get ready, for want of men. When the Armada departs from Porto Bello it returns again to Carthagena, by which time all the King's revenue which comes out of the country is got ready there. Here also meets them again a great ship, called the Patache, one of the Spanish galleons, which, before their first arrival at Carthagena, goes from the rest of the Armada, on purpose to gather the tribute of the coast, touching at the Margaritas and other places in her way thence to Carthagena, as Punta de Guayra, Maracaibo, Rio la Hacha, and Santa Marta, and at all these places takes in treasure for the King. After the set stay at Carthagena, the Armada goes away to the Havana, in the Isle of Cuba, to meet there the Flota, which is a small number of ships that go to La Vera Cruz, and there take in the effects of the city and country of Mexico, and what is brought thither in the ship which comes thither every year from the Philippine Islands; and having joined the rest at the Havana, the whole Armada sets sail for Spain through the Gulf of Florida. The ships in the South Seas lie a great 1 A patache (French, from Italian, "patascia") is a vessel, generally small, used in the conveyance of men, stores, or orders from ship to ship or place to place; a kind of messenger or auxiliary ship. deal longer at Panama before they return to Lima. The merchants and gentlemen which come from Lima stay as little time as they can at Porto Bello, which is at the best but a sickly place, and at this time is very full of men from all parts. But Panama, as it is not overcharged with men so unreasonably as the other, though very full, enjoys a good air, lying open to the sea-wind, which rises commonly about 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning, and continues till 8 or 9 o'clock at night; then the landwind comes, and blows till 8 or 9 in the morning. There are no woods nor marshes near Panama, but a brave, dry, champaign land, not subject to fogs nor mists. The wet season begins in the latter end of May and continues till November. The rains are not so excessive about Panama itself as on either side of the bay; yet in the months of June, July, and August they are severe enough. Gentlemen that come from Peru to Panama, especially in these months, cut their hair close to preserve them from fevers; for the place is sickly to them, because they come out of a country which never has any rains or fogs, but enjoys a constant serenity; but I am apt to believe this city is healthy enough to any other people. Thus much for Panama. The 20th, we went and anchored within a league of the Islands of Perica, which are only three little barren rocky islands, in expectation of the President of Panama's answer to the letter I said we sent him by Don Diego, treating about exchange of prisoners; this being the day on which he had given us his parole to return with an answer. The 21st, we took another bark laden with hogs, fowl, salt beef, and molasses; she came from Lavelia and was going to Panama. In the afternoon we sent another letter ashore by a young Mosteso (a mixed breed of Indians and Europeans), directed to the President; and three or four copies of it to be dispersed abroad among the common people. This letter, which was full of threats, together with the young man's managing the business, wrought so powerfully among the common people, that the city was in an up roar. The President immediately sent a gentleman aboard, who demanded the flour prize that we took off Gallo, and all the prisoners, for the ransom of our two men ; but our captains told him they would exchange man for man. The gentleman said he had not orders for that, but if we would stay till the next day he would bring the Governor's answer. The next day he brought aboard our two men, and had about forty prisoners in exchange. [On the 24th, they ran over to the Island of Taboga, about six leagues south from Panama. Its principal products are said to be the plantain, the banana, and the cocoa-nut. A small town, with a church at one end, is described as standing by the sea, the whole having been much destroyed by Privateers.]. ... While we lay at Taboga we had like to have had a scurvy trick played us by a pretended merchant from Panama, who came as by stealth to traffic with us privately; a thing common enough with the Spanish merchants, both in the North and South Seas, notwithstanding the severe prohibitions of the Governors; who yet sometimes connive at it, and will even trade with the Privateers themselves. Our merchant was by agreement to bring out his bark laden with goods in the night, and we to go and anchor at the south of Perica. Out he came, with a fireship instead of a bark, and approached very near, hailing us with the watchword we had agreed upon. We, suspecting the worst, called to them to come to an anchor, and upon their not doing so, fired at them; when immediately their men going out into the canoes set fire to their ship, which blew up and burnt close by us; so that we were forced to cut our cables in all haste and scamper away as well as we could. The Spaniard was not altogether so polític in appointing to meet us at Perica, for there we had sea-room; whereas had he come thus 1685.] TREACHERY OF CAPTAIN BOND. upon us at Taboga, the land-wind bear ing hard upon us as it did, we must either have been burnt by the fireship, or, upon loosing our cables, have been driven ashore. But I suppose they chose Perica rather for the scene of their enterprise, partly because they might there best skulk among the islands, and partly because, if their exploit failed, they could thence escape best from our canoes to Panama, but two leagues off. During this exploit, Captain Swan, whose ship was less than ours, and so not so much aimed at by the Spaniards, lay about a mile off, with a canoe at the buoy of his anchor, as fearing some treachery from our pretended merchant; and a little before the bark blew up, he saw a small float on the water, and, as it appeared, a man on it, making towards his ship; but the man dived, and disappeared of a sudden, as thinking probably that he was discovered. This was supposed to be one coming with some combustible matter to have stuck about the rudder. For such a trick Captain Sharpe was served at Coquimbo, and his ship had like to have been burnt by it, if by mere accident it had not been discovered. I was then aboard Captain Sharpe's ship. Captain Swan, seeing the blaze by us, cut his cables as we did; his bark did the like; so we kept under sail all the night, being more scared than hurt. The bark that was on fire drove burning towards Taboga; but after the first blast she did not burn clear, only made a smother; for she was not well made, though Captain Bond had the framing and management of it. This Captain Bond was he of whom I made mention in my Fourth Chapter. He, after his being at the Isles of Cape Verd, stood away for the South Seas, at the instigation of one Richard Morton, who had been with Captain Sharpe in the South Seas. In his way he met with Captain Eaton, and they two consorted a day or two; at last Morton went aboard of Captain Eaton, and persuaded him 1 See page 153. 193 to lose Captain Bond in the night, which Captain Eaton did; Morton continuing aboard of Captain Eaton, as finding his the better ship. Captain Bond thus losing both his consort Eaton, and Morton his pilot, and his ship being but an ordinary sailer, despaired of getting into the South Seas; and he had played such tricks among the Caribbee Isles, as I have been informed, that he did not dare to appear at any of the English Islands. Therefore he persuaded his men to go to the Spaniards, and they consented to do anything that he should propose; so he presently steered away into the West Indies, and the first place where he came to an anchor was at Porto Bello. He presently declared to the Governor that there were English ships coming into the South Seas, and that if they questioned it, he offered to be kept a prisoner till time should discover the truth of what he said; but they believed him, and sent him away to Panama, where he was in great esteem. This several prisoners told us. The Spaniards of Panama could not have fitted out their fireship without this Captain Bond's assistance: for it is strange to say how grossly ignorant the Spaniards in the West Indies, but especially in the South Seas, are of sea affairs. They build indeed good ships; but this is a small matter, for any ship of a good bottom will serve for these seas on the south coast. They rig their ships but untowardly, have no guns but in three or four of the King's ships; and are as meanly furnished with warlike provisions, and as much at a loss for the making any fireships or other less usual ma chines. Nay, they have not the sense to have their guns run within the sides upon their discharge, but have platforms without for the men to stand on to charge them; so that when we come near we can fetch them down with small shot out of our boats. A main reason of this is, that the native Spaniards are too proud to be seamen, but use the Indians for all those offices; one Spaniard, it may be, going in the ship to command it, N |
