ny men to take possession of his ship, and having above a dozen
passengers, he directed them to hide themselves in the hold, along with
a Frenchman who served as boatswain, with orders to seize as many of the
English as went down below, assuring them that he with the ship's
company would be able to manage the rest. When this ship struck,
Clipperton sent Lieutenant Sergeantson with eight men to take possession
of her; who, on coming on board, ordered all he saw on deck into the
great cabin, at the door of which he placed a sentinel. Thinking every
thing was now secure, he ordered the topsails to be hoisted, in order to
stand down towards the Success; after which, the men went down into the
hold, to see what loading was in the ship. On this the concealed
passengers sallied out, knocked most of them down, and the boatswain
came behind Mr Sergeantson, whom he knocked down likewise, and then
bound all the Englishmen in the hold. In the mean time, the crew in the
great cabin, Spaniards, Indians, and Negroes, secured the sentinel.
Having thus recovered possession of the ship, the Spanish captain
resolved on getting ashore at all events, in which design he ran his
ship among the rocks, where he with his crew and prisoners were all in
considerable danger. He then ordered all the English prisoners to be
unbound, and all got safe on shore, after which Lieutenant Sergeantson
and his men were all sent prisoners to Lima.

The viceroy was so much pleased with this hardy action of the Spanish
shipmaster, that he ordered a new vessel to be built for him at
Guayaquil, ordering all the traders in Peru to be taxed for defraying
the expence, as a reward for the service rendered on this occasion to
the public, and an encouragement for others to behave in like manner. On
the arrival of the prisoners at Lima, they were all strictly examined,
when one of them gave a full account of every thing he knew,
particularly of the two men who remained on the island of Juan
Fernandez, and of the letter left in a bottle for the Speedwell, the
consort of the Success. On this information, a small vessel was fitted
out and sent to Juan Fernandez, with orders to fetch away the two men
and the bottle containing the signals, which was accordingly done.

Perceiving on the 20th November, that the last-taken, prize had been
recovered by her crew, as on making the signal to tack, she was seen to
make all possible sail towards the land, Captain Clipperton immediatel