the
wind, and crowded from them with all his sail, and standing across a
rippling, where they hesitated to follow him, he happily escaped. He made
them out to be five Spanish men-of-war, one of them exceedingly like the
Gloucester, which was the occasion of his apprehensions when the
Gloucester chased him. By their appearance he thought they consisted of
two ships of 70 guns, two of 50, and one of 40 guns. The whole squadron
continued in chase of him all that day, but at night, finding they could
not get near him, they gave over the chase, and directed their course to
the southward.

(*Note. Captain Mitchel commanded the Pearl when the squadron started;
but Captain Norris of the Gloucester had gone home sick from Madeira and
several changes had taken place in the commands. The death of Captain
Kidd caused fresh promotions. Captain Mitchel now commanded the
Gloucester and Captain Murray the Pearl; while Lieutenants Cheap and
Saunders had been promoted captains of the Wager and Trial.)

And now, had it not been for the necessity we were under of refitting the
Trial, this piece of intelligence would have prevented our making any
stay at St. Julian; but as it was impossible for that sloop to proceed
round the Cape in the present condition, some stay there was inevitable;
and, therefore, we sent the two cutters belonging to the Centurion and
Severn in shore to discover the harbour of St. Julian, while the ships
kept standing along the coast at about the distance of a league from the
land. At six o'clock we anchored in the Bay of St. Julian. Soon after the
cutters returned on board, having discovered the harbour, which did not
appear to us in our situation, the northernmost point shutting in upon
the southernmost, and in appearance closing the entrance.

Being come to an anchor in this Bay of St. Julian, principally with a
view of refitting the Trial, the carpenters were immediately employed in
that business, and continued so during our whole stay at the place. Here
the Commodore, too, in order to ease the expedition of all unnecessary
expense, held a consultation with his captains about unloading and
discharging the Anna pink;* but they represented to him that they were so
far from being in a condition of taking any part of her loading on board
that they had still great quantities of provisions in the way of their
guns between decks, and that their ships were withal so very deep that
they were not fit for action without b