1686.1

219

that use; there was also sugar, salt, and salt-fish.

Santa Pecaque was to get provision; Captain Swan's only business at therefore he ordered his men to and by turns carry down the providivide themselves into two parts, ing in the town to secure what they sion to the canoes; one half remainhad taken, while the other half were going and coming. they caught some horses; and the In the afternoon seven next morning, being the 17th, fiftyladen with maize to the canoes. men and some horses went They found them, and the men left to guard them, in good order, though the Spaniards had given them a small diversion, and wounded one man; but our men of the canoes landed and drove them away. These that came loaded to the canoes left seven men more there, so that now there At night the others returned; and were thirty men to guard the canoes. the 18th, in the morning, that half which stayed the day before at the town took their turn of going, with every man his burthen, and twentyfour horses laden.

SANTA PECAQUE. He rowed about five leagues up the river, and landed the next morning. The river at this place was not above pistol-shot wide, the banks pretty high on each side, and the land plain and even. He left twenty-three men to guard the canoes, and marched with the rest to the town. out from the canoes at 6 o'clock in He set the morning, and reached the town by ten. The way through which he passed was very plain, part of it woodland, part savannahs. savannahs were full of horses, bulls, The and cows. The Spaniards seeing him coming ran all away; so he entered the town without the least opposition. This town of Santa Pecaque stands on a plain in a savannah by the side of a wood, with many fruit trees about it. It is but a small town, but very regular, after the Spanish mode, with a parade in the midst. The houses fronting the parade had all balconies; there were two churches, one against the parade, the other at the end of the town. It is inhabited mostly by Spaniards. Their chief occupation is husbandry. There are also some carriers, who are employed by the merchants of Compostella to trade for them to and from the mines. Compostella is a rich town about twenty-one leagues from hence. It is the chief in all this part of the kingdom, and is reported to have seventy White families; which is a great matter in these parts, for it may be that such a town has no less than 500 families of copper-coloured people besides the Whites. The sil

ver mines are about five or six leagues from Santa Pecaque; there, as we were told, the inhabitants of Compostella had some hundreds of slaves at work. The silver here and all over the kingdom of Mexico is said to be finer and richer in proportion than that of Potosi or Peru, though the ore be not so abundant; and the carriers of this town of Santa Pecaque carry the ore to Compostella, where it is refined. These carriers or sutlers also furnish the slaves at the mines with maize, whereof there was great plenty now in the town, designed for

Before they re

turned, Captain Swan and his other who said that there were near 1000 men at the town caught a prisoner, men of all colours, Spaniards and Indians, Negroes and Mulattoes, in arms at a place called Santiago, but three leagues off, the chief town on this river; that the Spaniards were armed with guns and pistols, and the copper-coloured with swords and ill consequence of separating his lances. Captain Swan, fearing the small company, was resolved the next day to march away with the whole party; and therefore he ordered his men to catch as many horses as they could, that they might carry the more provision with them.. Accordingly, the next day, being the 19th of February 1686, Captain Swan called out his men betimes to be gone; but they refused to go, and said that they would not leave the town till all the provision was in the canoes; therefore he was forced to yield to them, and suffered half the

company to go as before. They had lie there secure from the Spaniards; now fifty-four horses laden, which and next, that if he could get a comCaptain Swan ordered to be tied one merce with the Indians there, he to another, and the men to go in might make a discovery in the Lake two bodies, twenty-five before and as of California, and by their assistance many behind; but the men would go try for some of the plate of New at their own rate, every man leading Mexico. This Lake of California his horse. The Spaniards observed (for so the sea, channel, or strait, their manner of marching, and laid between that and the continent is an ambush about a mile from the called) is but little known to the town, which they managed with such Spaniards, by what I could ever success, that falling on our body of learn; for their draughts do not men who were guarding the corn to agree about it. Some of them make the canoes, they killed them every California an island. Some of their one. Captain Swan hearing the re- draughts newly made make Califorport of their guns, ordered his men nia to join to the main. I believe who were then in the town with him that the Spaniards do not care to to march out to their assistance; but have this lake discovered, for fear less some opposed him, despising their other European nations should get enemies; till two of the Spaniards' knowledge of it, and by that means horses that had lost their riders came visit the mines of New Mexico. galloping into the town in a great fright, New Mexico, by report of several both bridled and saddled, with each English prisoners there, and Spana pair of holsters by their sides, and iards I have met with, lies NW. one had a carbine newly discharged; from Old Mexico between 400 and which was an apparent token that 500 leagues, and the biggest part of our men had been engaged, and that the treasure which is found in this by men better armed than they ima- kingdom is in that province; but withgined they should meet with. There-out doubt there are plenty of mines in fore Captain Swan immediately marched out of the town, and his men all followed him; and when he came to the place where the engagement had been, he saw all his men that went out in the morning lying dead. They were stripped, and so cut and mangled that he scarce knew one man. Captain Swan had not more men then with him than those were who lay dead before him; yet the Spaniards never came to oppose him, but kept at a great distance; for it is probable the Spaniards had not cut off so many men of ours, but with the loss of a great many of their own. So he marched down to the canoes, and came aboard the ship with the maize that was already in the canoes. We had about fifty men

killed.

This loss discouraged us from attempting anything more hereabouts. Therefore Captain Swan proposed to go to Cape San Lucas, on California, to careen. He had two reasons for this first, that he thought he could

other parts, as well as in this part of
the kingdom where we now were, as
in other places; and probably on the
main bordering on the Lake of Cali-
fornia, although not yet discovered
by the Spaniards, who have mines
enough, and therefore as yet have no
reason to discover more.
In my
opinion, here might be very advan-
tageous discoveries made by any that
would attempt it, for the Spaniards
have more than they can well manage.
I know yet they would lie like the dog
in the manger; although not able to
eat themselves, yet they would en-
deavour to hinder others. But the
voyage thither being so far, I take
that to be one reason that has hin-
dered the discoveries of these parts;
yet it is possible that a man may find
a nearer way hither than we came ; I
mean by the north-west. I know
there have been divers attempts made
about a north-west_passage, and all
unsuccessful; yet I am of opinion
that such a passage may be found.
All our countrymen that have gone

1686.]

THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

to discover the NW. passage, have
endeavoured to pass to the westward,
beginning their search along Davis's
or Hudson's Bay. But if I were to go
on this discovery, I would go first into
the South Seas, bend my course from
thence along by California, and that
way seek a passage back into the
West Seas. For as others have spent
the summer in first searching on this
more known side nearer home, and
so before they got through, the time
of the year obliged them to give over
their search and provide for a long
course back again, for fear of being
left in the winter; on the contrary, I
would search first on the less known
coasts of the South Sea side, and then
as the year passed away I should
need no retreat, for I should come
farther into my knowledge1 if I suc-
ceeded in my attempt, and should be
without that dread and fear which
the others must have in passing from
the known to the unknown; who,
for aught I know, gave over their
search just as they were on the point
I
of accomplishing their desires.
would take the same method if I
were to go to discover the north-east
I would winter about
Japan, Corea, or the north-east part
of China;
and taking the spring and
summer before me, I would make my
first trial on the coast of Tartary;
wherein, if I succeeded, I should come
into some known parts, and have a
great deal of time before me to reach
Archangel or some other port. Cap-
tain Wood indeed says this north-east
passage is not to be found for ice;
but how often do we see that some-
times designs have been given over
as impossible, and at another time
and by other ways those very things
have been accomplished? But enough
of this.

passage.

The next day after that fatal skirmish near Santa Pecaque, Captain Swan ordered all our water to be filled, and to get ready to sail. The 21st we sailed from thence, directing our course towards California.

We

1 Into the regions of which I had knowledge.

221

passed by three islands, called the
[Three] Marias. We beat till the
6th of February, but it was against a
brisk wind, and proved labour in vain.

Finding, therefore, that we got
nothing, but rather lost ground, being
then in 21° 5' N., we steered away
more to the eastward again for the
Islands Marias, and the 7th we came
to an anchor at the east end of the
middle island. The Marias are three
uninhabited islands in Lat. 21° 40';
they are distant from Cape San Lucas
on California forty leagues, bearing
ESE., and from Cape Corrientes twenty
leagues, bearing upon the same points
of the compass with Cape San Lucas.
They stretch NW. and SE. about four-
teen leagues. There are two or three
small high rocks near them; the
westernmost of them is the biggest
island of the three, and they are all
three of an indifferent height. The
soil is stony and dry; the land, in
most places, is covered with a shrubby
sort of wood, very thick and trouble-
some to pass through. In some places
there is plenty of straight, large cedars.
[These islands are described as unin-
habitable, but guanas, racoons, turtle,
tortoise, and seal were to be had in
abundance. Captain Swan named the
middle island Prince George's Island.
Dampier was here sick of a dropsy,
but having been buried half-an-hour
in the hot sand to induce perspiration,
he got well shortly afterwards.].

We stayed here till the 20th; and then both vessels being clean, we sailed to the valley of Valderas to water. The 28th we anchored in the bottom of the bay of the valley of Valderas, right against the river, where we watered before; 3 but this river was brackish now in the dry season, and therefore we went two or three leagues nearer Cape Corrientes, and anchored by a small round island not half a-mile from the shore. Here

our strikers struck nine or ten Jew.

2 There are really four islands in the group; the fourth, lying farthest to the north-west, is called Santa Juanio.

* See Note 2, page 214.

fish some we did eat, and the rest | which is the first place that we could we salted; and the 29th we filled thirty-two tons of very good water. Having thus provided ourselves, we had nothing more to do but to put in execution our intended expedition to the East Indies, in hopes of some better success there than we had met with on this little frequented coast. We came on it full of expectations; for besides the richness of the country, and the probability of finding some seaports worth visiting, we persuaded ourselves that there must needs be shipping and trade here, and that Acapulco and La Vera Cruz were to the kingdom of Mexico what Panama and Porto Bello are to that of Peru, viz., marts for carrying on a constant commerce between the South and North Seas, as indeed they are. But whereas we expected that this commerce should be managed by sea from the places along the west coast, we found ourselves mistaken; that of Mexico being almost wholly a land trade, and managed more by mules than by ships; so that instead of profit, we met with little on this coast besides fatigues, hardships, and losses, and so were the more easily induced to try what better fortune we might have in the East Indies. But, to do right to Captain Swan, he had no intention to be as a privateer in the East Indies; but, as he has often assured me with his own mouth, he resolved to take the first opportunity of returning to England; so that he feigned a compliance with some of his men who were bent upon going to cruise at Manilla, that he might have leisure to take some favourable opportunity of quitting the privateer trade.

CHAPTER X.

I HAVE given an account in the last Chapter of the resolutions we took of going over to the East Indies. But having more calmly considered on the length of our voyage from hence to Guam, one of the Ladrone Islands,

touch at, and there also being not
certain to find provisions, most of
our men were almost daunted at the
thoughts of it, for we had not sixty
days' provision, at a little more than
half a pint of maize a-day for each
man, and no other provision except
three meals of salted Jew-fish; and
we had a great many rats aboard
which we could not hinder from eat-
ing part of our maize; besides the
great distance between Cape Corri-
entes and Guam, which is variously
set down. The Spaniards, who have
the greatest reason to know best,
make it to be between 2300 and 2400
leagues: our books also reckon it
differently-between 90 and 100 de-
grees, which all comes short indeed
of 2000 leagues; but even that was a
voyage enough to frighten us, con-
sidering our scanty provisions. Cap-
tain Swan, to encourage his men to
go with him, persuaded them that
the English books did give the best
account of the distance; his reasons
were many, although but weak. He
urged, among the rest, that Sir Thomas
Cavendish and Sir Francis Drake did
run it in less than fifty days, and
that he did not question but that our
ships were better sailers than those
which were built in that age; and
that he did not doubt to get there in
little more than forty days, this being
the best time in the year for breezes,
which undoubtedly is the reason that
the Spaniards set out from Acapulco
about this time; and that although
they are sixty days in their voyage,
it is because they are great ships,
deep-laden, and very heavy sailers;
besides, they, wanting nothing, are
in no great haste in their way, but
sail with a great deal of their usual
caution, and when they come near
the Island of Guam, they lie by in
the night for a week before they make
land. In prudence we also should
have contrived to lie by in the night
when we came near land; for other
wise we might have run ashore, or
have outsailed the islands and lost
sight of them before morning.
our bold adventurers seldom proceed

But

1686.]

SHORT OF PROVISIONS.

223

with such wariness when in any straits. | me a great deal of good, though others But of all Captain Swan's arguments, were weakened by it, for I found that that which prevailed most with them my strength increased and my dropsy was his promising them, as I have wore off. Yet I drank three times said, to cruise off Manilla. So he every twenty-four hours; but many of and his men being now agreed, and our men did not drink in nine or ten they encouraged with the hope of days' time, and some not in twelve gain, which works its way through days; one of our men did not drink all difficulties, we set out from Cape in seventeen days' time, and said he Corrientes, March the 31st, 1686. was not a-dry when he did drink; yet We were two ships in company, Cap- he made water every day, more or tain Swan's ship and a bark com- less. One of our men in the midst of manded under Captain Swan by Cap- these hardships was found guilty of tain Tait, and we were 150 men-100 theft, and condemned for the same to aboard of the ship, and 50 aboard the have three blows from each man in bark, besides slaves, as I said. the ship with a two-inch and a half rope on his bare back. Captain Swan began first, and struck with a good will, whose example was followed by all of us. It was very strange that in all this voyage we did not see one fish, not so much as a flying fish, nor any sort of fowl; but at one time, when we were by my account 4975 miles west from Cape Corrientes; then we saw a great number of boobies, which we supposed came from some rocks not far from us, which were mentioned in some of our seacharts, but we did not see them.

The next morning, about 10 o'clock, we had the sea breeze at NNE., so that at noon we were thirty leagues from the cape. It blew a fresh gale of wind, which carried us off into the true trade-wind. At first we had it at NNE., so it came about easterly, and then to the east as we ran off. At 250 leagues' distance from the shore we had it at ENE., and there it stood till we came within forty leagues of Guam. When we had eaten up our three meals of salted Jewfish in so many days' time, we had nothing but our small allowance of maize. After the 1st of May we made great runs every day, having very fair clear weather and a fresh trade-wind, which we made use of with all our sails, and we made many good observations of the sun. At our first setting out we steered into the Lat. of 13°, which is near the Latitude of Guam; then we steered west, keeping in that Latitude. By the time we had sailed twenty days, our men, seeing we made such great runs, and the wind like to continue, repined because they were kept at such short allowance. Captain Swan endeavoured to persuade them to have a little patience, yet nothing but an augmentation of their daily allowance would appease them. Captain Swan, though with much reluctance, gave way to a small enlargement of our commons, for now we had not above ten spoonfuls of boiled maize a man once a day, whereas before we had eight. I do believe that this short allowance did

After we had run the 1900 leagues by our reckoning, which made the English account to Guam, the men began to murmur against Captain Swan for persuading them to come this voyage; but he gave them fair words, and told them that the Spanish account might probably be the truest, and seeing the gale was likely to continue, a short time longer would end cur troubles. As we drew nigh the island, we met with some small rain, and the clouds settling in the west were an apparent token that we were not far from land; for in these climates between or near the Tropics, where the trade-wind blows constantly, the clouds, which fly swift overhead, yet seem near the limb1 of the horizon to hang without much motion or alteration where the land is near. I

1 The utmost edge or border; an astronomical term applied to the border of the disc of the sun, the moon, or any planet.