vered the seas, and I was resolved
that I would not be taken by a vessel of small force, I shipped with me
a complement of forty men, and had twelve guns mounted on her decks. We
escaped through the gut of Gibraltar, and steered our course for Cape
Horn, the southernmost point of America. Nothing worth narrating
occurred until we made the land, when a strong adverse gale came on,
which, after attempting in vain to beat against it, blew away most of
our sails and finally obliged us to bear up, and run away to the
southward and eastward.

From the working and straining of the vessel, the decks had become so
leaky, that the water ran through every part of the ship. Our
provisions (particularly our bread) being spoiled, and obliged to be
thrown overboard, we were necessitated to be put upon short allowance.
As we had no hopes of being able to support ourselves upon what was left
until our arrival at Lima, I determined to run for the nearest island,
where I might obtain a fresh supply, and then renew our attempt to beat
round the Cape. I was in some doubts where to proceed, but after
running eastward for a fortnight, we discovered land on the lee bow,
which I considered to be the uninhabited Island of New Georgia; but as
we approached it, we thought that we perceived people on the beach, and
when within five miles we could plainly distinguish that they were
soldiers in their uniforms, ranged up, rank and file. The colour of
their clothes could not be made out with the glass, but it was easy to
be distinguished that they had yellow facings; from which I inferred
that they were our enemies the English. "Peste!" thought I, "is it
possible that these grasping islanders have made a settlement on this
place? Where will they go to next?" The different companies appeared
to be from one to two dozen in number; sometimes they stood quite still,
at others they walked a little way on the beach; but they constantly
adhered to their rank-and-file position, and as I could not perceive
that they had any muskets in their hands, I inferred that they were
merely practising the marching evolutions. No houses or fortifications
were distinguishable, and I determined to run the ship nearer in, that I
might observe their motions. I did so, and when within two miles, I
again rounded to, and putting my eye to the glass, perceived to my
astonishment that a whole regiment of them ran into the surf, and
re-appeared on the outside of it, in the