which a Fryer that was on Board would have perswaded us, for the Sake of the Blessed Virgin, to have return’d, being, as he said, consecrated Plate to the Honour of the holy Church, the Virgin Mary, and St. Martin; but, as it happen’d, he could not perswade us to it; also we found about 60000 Ounces of Gold, some in little Wedges, some in Dust. We found several other Things of Value, but not to be nam’d with the rest.

Being thus made surprisingly rich, we began to think what Course we should steer next; for as the great Ship, which was escap’d, would certainly alarm the Country, we might be sure we should meet with no more Purchase at Sea, and we were not very fond of landing, to attack any Town on Shore. In this Consultation ’tis to be observ’d, that I was, by the unanimous Consent of all the Crew, made Captain of the great Ship, and of the whole Crew; the whole Voyage hither, and every Part of it, having, for some Time before, been chiefly manag’d by my Direction, or at least by my Advice.

The first Thing I propos’d to them all, was, seeing we had met with such good Luck, and that we could not expect much more, and if we stay’d longer in these Seas, should find it very hard to

revictual our Ships, and might have our Retreat cut off by Spanish Men of war; (five of which we heard were sent out after the other Buccaneers) we should make the best of our Way to the South, and get about into the North Seas, where we were out of all Danger.

In Consequence of this Advice, which was generally approv’d, we stood away directly South; and the Wind blowing pretty fair at N. N. E. a merry Gale, we stood directly for the Isle of Juan Fernando, carrying our rich Prize with us.

We arriv’d here the Beginning of June, having been just six Months in those Seas. We were surpriz’d, when coming to the Island, we found two Ships at an Anchor close under the Lee of the Rocks, and two little Periaguas farther in, near the Shore; but being resolv’d to see what they were, we found, to our Satisfaction, they were the Buccaneers of whom I have spoken above: The Story is too long to enter upon here; but in short, without Guns, without Ship, and only coming over Land with their Fusees in their Hands, they had rang’d these Seas, had taken several Prizes, and some pretty rich, and had got two pretty handsome Barks, one carry’d six Guns, and the other four; they had shar’d, as they told us, about 400 Pieces of Eight a Man, besides one Thing they had which we were willing to buy of them; they had about 100 Jarrs of Gunpowder, which they took out of a Store Ship going to Lima.

If we was glad to meet them, you may be sure they were glad to meet with us, and so we began to sort together as one Company, only they were loth to give over and return, as we were and which we had now resolv’d on.

We were so rich ourselves, and so fully satisfy’d with what we had taken, that we began to be bountiful to our Countrymen; and indeed they dealt so generously with us, that we could not but be inclin’d to do them some Good, for when we talk’d of buying their Gunpowder, they very frankly gave us 50 Jarrs of it gratis.

I took this so kindly, that I call’d a little Council among ourselves, and propos’d to send the poor Rogues 50 Barrels of our Beef, which we could very well spare; and our Company agreeing to it, we did so, which made their Hearts glad; for it was very good, and they had not tasted good Salt-beef for a long Time; and with it we sent them two Hogsheads of Rum: This made them so hearty to us, that they sent two of their Company to compliment us, to offer to enter themselves on Board us, and to go with us all the World over.

We did not so readily agree to this at first, because we had no new Enterprize in View; but however, as they sent us Word they had chosen me so unanimously for their Captain, I propos’d to our Men to remove ourselves, and all our Goods, into the great Ship and the Sloop, and so take the honest Fellows into the Fregat, which now had no less than 22 Guns, and would hold them all, and then they might sail with us, or go upon any Adventures of their own, as we should agree.

Accordingly we did so, and gave them that Ship, with all her Guns and Ammunition, but made one of our own Men Captain, which they consented to, and so we became all one Body.

Here also we shar’d our Booty, which was great indeed to a Profusion; and as keeping such a Treasure in every Man’s particular private Possession, would have occasion’d Gaming, Quarrelling, and perhaps Thieving and Pilfering, I order’d that so many small Chests should be made as there were Men in the Ship, and every Man’s Treasure was nail’d up in these Chests, and the Chests all stow’d in the Hold, with every Man’s Name upon his Chest, not to be touch’d but by general Order, and to prevent Gaming, I prevail’d with them to make a Law or Agreement, and everyone to set their Hands to it; by which they agreed, That if any Man play’d for any more Money than he had in his Keeping, the Winner should not be paid whatever the Loser run in Debt, but the Chest containing every Man’s Dividend, should be all his own, to be deliver’d whole to him; and the Offender, whenever he left the Ship, if he would pay any Gaming Debts afterward, that was another Case; but such Debts should never be paid while he continu’d in that Company.

By this Means also we secur’d the Ship’s Crew keeping together; for if any Man left the Ship now, he was sure to leave about 6000 Pieces of Eight behind him, to be shar’d among the rest of the Ship’s Company, which few of them car’d to do.

As we were now all embark’d together, the next Question was, Whither we should go? As for our Crew, we were so rich, that our Men were all for going back again, and so to make off to some of the Leeward Islands, that we might get a-Shore privately with our Booty: But as we had shipp’d our new Comrades on Board a good Ship,

it would be very hard to oblige them to go back without any Purchace, for that would be to give them a Ship to do them no Good, but to carry them back to Europe just as they came out from thence, viz. with no Money in their Pockets.

Upon these Considerations we came to this Resolution, That they should go out to Sea and Cruise the Height of Lima, and try their Fortune, and that we would stay 60 Days for them at Juan Fernando.

Upon this Agreement they went away very joyful, and we fell to work to new rig our Ship, mending our Sails, and cleaning our Bottom. Here we employ’d ourselves a Month very hard at Work; our Carpenters also took down some of the Ship’s upper Work, and built it, as we thought, more to the Advantage of Sailing; so that we had more Room within, and yet did not lie so high.

During this Time we had a Tent set up on Shore, and 50 of our Men employ’d themselves wholly in killing Goats and Fowls for our fresh Provisions; and one of our Men understanding we had some Malt left on Board the Ship, which was taken in one of the Prizes, set up a great Kettle on Shore, and went to work to Brewing, and, to our great Satisfaction, brew’d us some very good Beer; but we wanted Bottles to keep it in, after it had stood a while in the Cask.

However, he brew’d us very good Small Beer, for present Use; and instead of Hops he found some wild Wormwood growing on the Island, which gave it no unpleasant Taste, and made it very agreeable to us.

Before the Time was expir’d, our Frigat sent a Sloop to us, which they had taken, to give us Notice that they were in a small Creek near the Mould of the River Guyaquil, on the Coast of Peru, in the Latitude of 22 Degrees. They had a great Booty in View, there being two Ships in the River of Guyaquil, and two more expected to pass by from Lima, in which was a great Quantity of Plate; that they waited there for them, and begg’d we would not