Page 171
An. 1684
A Racquet taken.
up the River of Tomaco, returned back again to the Village. They had rowed 7 or 8 leagues up, and found but one Spanish House, which they were told did belong to a Lady who lived at Lima; she had Ser- vants here that traded with the Indians for Gold; but they seeing our Men coming ran away: yet our Men found there several Ounces of Gold in Callabashes.
The first day of January 1685. we went from To- maco towards Gallo. We carried the Knight with us and two small Canoas which we took there, and while we were rowing over, one of our Canoas took a Pacquet Boat that was sent from Panama to Lima. The Spaniards threw the Pacquet of Letters over board with a Line and a Buoy to it, but our Men seeing it took it up, and brought the Letters, and all the Prisoners aboard our Ships that were then at an anchor at Gallo. Here we stayed till the 6th day reading the Letters, by which we understood that the Armada from Old Spain was come to Portu- bel; and that the President of Panama had sent this Pacquet on purpose to hasten the Plate Fleet thither from Lima.
We were very joyful of this News, and therefore sent away the Pacquet Boat with all her Letters; and we altered our former resolutions of going to La- shelia. We now concluded to careen our Ships as speedily as we could, that we might be ready to intercept this Fleet. The properest place that we could think on for doing it was among the Kings Islands or Pearl Keys, because they are near Panama, and all Ships bound to Panama from the Coast of Lima pass by them; so that being there we could not possibly miss the Fleet. According to these reso- lutions we failed the next morning, in order to exe- cute what we designed. We were 2 Ships and 3 Barks in Company, viz. Captain Davis, Captain Swan, a Fireship, and 2 small Barks, as Tenders; one