Page 260
An.1686
Their Defigns on this Coaft.
water, a mile from the fhore. Here we ftay'd hunting till the 7th day, and Captain Swan and Captain Townly went afhore every morning with about 240 men, and marched to a fmall hill; where they remain'd with 50 or 60 men to watch the Spaniards, who appear'd in great companies on other hills not far diftant, but did never attempt any thing againft our men. Here we kill'd and salted above 2 months meat, befides what we fpent frefh: and might have kill'd as much more, if we had been better ftor'd with Salt. Our hopes of meeting the Phillippine Ship were now over; for we did all conclude, that while we were neceflitated to hunt here for Provifions, fhe was paft by to the Eaftward, as indeed fhe was, as we did underftand afterwards by Prifoners. So this defign fail'd through Captain Townley's eagernefs after the Lima Ship, which he attempted in Acapulco Harbour, as as I have related. For though we took a little Flower hard by, yet the fame Guide which told us of that Ship would have conducted us where we might had ftore of Beef and Maiz: but inftead thereof we loft both our time and the opportunity of providing our felves, and fo were forced to be victualling when we fhould have been cruizing off Cape Corrientes in expectation of the Manila Ship.
Hitherto we had coafted along here with 2 diffe- rent defigns. The one was to get the Manila Ship, which would have enriched us beyond meafure, and this Captain Townly was moft for. Sir Tho. Ca- vendifh formerly took the Manila Ship off Cape St. Lucas in California, (where we alfo would have waited for her, had we been early enough ftored with Provifions, to have met her there) and threw much rich Goods over-board. The other defign, which Captain Swan and our Crew were moft for, was to fearch along the Coaft for rich Towns, and Mines chiefly of Gold and Silver, which we were assured