ntinued, we sent our boats, with as many men as we could
spare, to Captain Mitchel's assistance.

It was the 15th of August, in the evening, before the Gloucester was
cleared of everything that was proposed to be removed; and though the
hold was now almost full of water, yet as the carpenters were of opinion
that she might still swim for some time if the calm should continue and
the water become smooth, she was set on fire; for we knew not how near we
might now be to the island of Guam, which was in the possession of our
enemies, and the wreck of such a ship would have been to them no
contemptible acquisition. When she was set on fire Captain Mitchel and
his officers left her and came on board the Centurion, and we immediately
stood from the wreck, not without some apprehensions (as we had now only
a light breeze) that, if she blew up soon, the concussion of the air
might damage our rigging; but she fortunately burned, though very
fiercel, the whole night, her guns firing successively as the flames
reached them. And it was six in the morning, when we were about four
leagues distant, before she blew up. The report she made upon this
occasion was but a small one, but there was an exceeding black pillar of
smoke, which shot up into the air to a very considerable height. Thus
perished His Majesty's ship the Gloucester.

CHAPTER 26.
THE LADRONES SIGHTED--TINIAN.

The 23rd, at daybreak, we were cheered with the discovery of two islands
in the western board. This gave us all great joy, and raised our drooping
spirits, for before this a universal dejection had seized us, and we
almost despaired of ever seeing land again. The nearest of these islands
we afterwards found to be Anatacan. The other was the island of Serigan,
and had rather the appearance of a high rock than a place we could hope
to anchor at. We were extremely impatient to get in with the nearest
island, where we expected to meet with anchoring ground and an
opportunity of refreshing our sick; but the wind proved so variable all
day, and there was so little of it, that we advanced towards it but
slowly. However, by the next morning we were got so far to the westward
that we were in view of a third island, which was that of Paxaros, though
marked in the chart only as a rock. This was small and very low land, and
we had passed within less than a mile of it in the night without seeing
it. And now at noon, being within four miles of the island of Anatacan,
the boa