raders on the coast of St. Blas, where it was necessary for me to
proceed, I hired three men in addition to Captain Tefts and his little
crew, to proceed with me to that place. My schooner being armed with a
six-pound cannon, with about thirty fowling guns, plenty of cutlasses,
and some boarding pikes, we proceeded to the coast of St. Blas, where
we were advised by the Indians to put the schooner into a small river,
about two hundred feet wide, and wait a few days before we proceeded to
the River De Ablo, our port of destination. We warped the schooner into
the mouth of the river, in shoal water, where we supposed the enemy's
vessels could not come near enough to injure us, and prepared ourselves
for an encounter with their boats if they sent them to attack us, by
making cartridges of musket-balls and buck-shot, put up in bags of six
pounds each, in addition to round balls and cannister-shot. I likewise
supplied about thirty Indians with ammunition, who promised to come to
my assistance if the enemy disturbed me. I divided my men into two
watches, and kept a good look-out four days and nights. About the fifth
night we heard the sound of a horn a number of times; about 12 o'clock
all hands were called to quarters. We soon discovered, however, that the
sound proceeded from a canoe, which when we had let it approach within
hail, we found to contain the crew of an English trader, who had been
captured by a royal privateer and carried into Porto Bello, where they
had escaped from their prison, stolen a canoe, and then paddled to this
place, a distance of about sixty miles, without food. Soon after, we
learned from the Indians that the cruisers had left the coast. We then
proceeded to the River De Ablo, where I found my traders waiting my
arrival. They brought their returns, goods, &c. on board, and a
settlement was made in a satisfactory manner on both sides in less than
one hour. I purchased a few thousand cocoa-nuts and some fustic, which I
took on board, and sailed for Cape Gracios a Dios, touching at Corn
Island.

On my arrival at the Cape I took on board all the return cargo I could
procure, and proceeded to the Lagoon, stopping at the different harbors,
as usual. When at the Lagoon I made known my intention of leaving the
trade, when a number of sookermen assembled to bestow their farewell
benediction upon me, saying that I had traded a long time with them, and
that they were much pleased with me, and did not blame me f