alled me, pointed to
the ships, and told the interpreter to tell us to look at them, for we
should never see them again. About noon we entered a river to the
westward of the Bogue, three or four miles from the entrance. We passed
a large town situated on the side of a beautiful hill, which is
tributary to the Ladrones; the inhabitants saluted them with songs as
they passed.

The fleet now divided into two squadrons (the red and the black)[22] and
sailed up different branches of the river. At midnight the division we
were in anchored close to an immense hill, on the top of which a number
of fires were burning, which at daylight I perceived proceeded from a
Chinese camp. At the back of the hill was a most beautiful town,
surrounded by water, and embellished with groves of orange trees. The
chop-house (custom-house)[23] and a few cottages were immediately
plundered, and burned down; most of the inhabitants, however, escaped to
the camp.

The Ladrones now prepared to attack the town with a formidable force,
collected in rowboats from the different vessels. They sent a messenger
to the town, demanding a tribute of ten thousand dollars annually,
saying, if these terms were not complied with, they would land, destroy
the town, and murder all the inhabitants; which they would certainly
have done, had the town laid in a more advantageous situation for their
purpose; but being placed out of the reach of their shot, they allowed
them to come to terms. The inhabitants agreed to pay six thousand
dollars, which they were to collect by the time of our return down the
river. This finesse had the desired effect, for during our absence they
mounted a few guns on a hill, which commanded the passage, and gave us
in lieu of the dollars a warm salute on our return.

October the 1st, the fleet weighed in the night, dropped by the tide up
the river, and anchored very quietly before a town surrounded by a thick
wood. Early in the morning the Ladrones assembled in rowboats and
landed; then gave a shout, and rushed into the town, sword in hand. The
inhabitants fled to the adjacent hills, in numbers apparently superior
to the Ladrones. We may easily imagine to ourselves the horror with
which these miserable people must be seized, on being obliged to leave
their homes, and everything dear to them. It was a most melancholy sight
to see women in tears, clasping their infants in their arms, and
imploring mercy for them from those brutal robbers! Th