of the
Tryal, answered us in English, that she was a prize, taken by the
Tryal a few days before, and that the other vessel at a distance was
the Tryal, disabled in her masts.

We were soon after joined by the Tryal, when her commander, Captain
Saunders, came on board the Centurion. He acquainted the commodore,
that he had taken this ship on the 18th, being a prime sailor, which
had cost him thirty-six hours chase before he could get up with her,
and that for some time he gained so little upon her, that he almost
despaired of ever making up with the chase. The Spaniards were at
first alarmed, by seeing nothing but a cloud of sail in pursuit of
them, as the hull of the Tryal lay so low in the water, that no part
of it appeared; yet knowing the goodness of their ship, and finding
how little the Tryal neared them, they at last laid aside their fears,
and, recommending themselves to the protection of the blessed Virgin,
they began to think themselves quite secure. Indeed, their success was
near doing honour to their _Ave Marias_; for, altering their course
in the night, and shutting close their cabin windows to prevent any of
their lights from being seen, they had some chance of escaping: But a
small crevice in one of their shutters rendered all their invocations
of no avail; as the people of the Tryal perceived a light through this
crevice, which they chased till they got within gun-shot; and then
Captain Saunders alarmed them with a broadside, when they flattered
themselves they were beyond his reach. For some time, however, the
chase still kept the same sail abroad, and it was not observed that
this first salute had made any impression; but, just as the Tryal was
about to repeat her broadsides the Spaniards crept from their holes,
lowered their sails, and submitted without opposition. She was named
the _Arranzazu_, being one of the largest merchantmen employed in
these seas, of about 600 tons burden, bound from Calao to Valparaiso,
having much the same cargo with the Carmelo, our former prize, except
that her silver amounted only to about 5000l. sterling.

To balance this success, we found that the Tryal had sprung her
main-mast, and that her main-top-mast had come by the board; and next
morning, as we were all standing to the eastward in a fresh gale at S.
she had the additional misfortune to spring her fore-mast, so that now
she had not a mast left on which she could carry sail. These unhappy
circumstances were stil