y
suspected what had happened; and finding it impossible to get up with
her, he began to consider what was best for him to do, to prevent the
bad effects which might reasonably be expected from her crew getting on
shore and communicating the alarm. Wherefore, he very prudently
determined to set all his Spanish prisoners at liberty, as well to save
provisions, which he could not very well spare, as that their good usage
from him might be speedily known, in hopes of the same being returned to
those of his men who had fallen into the hands of the Spaniards.

On the 24th we took another prize of about 200 tons, laden with timber
from Panama to Lima, having on board forty negroes and thirty Spaniards,
most of the last being passengers. On the 27th he came to anchor with
all his prizes at the island of Plata, where he began seriously to
reflect how best to turn the expedition to the profit of the owners, as
well as of himself and crew. He knew well that all the coast was now
alarmed, and that two men-of-war were fitting out on purpose to take
him, one of fifty and the other of thirty guns. He had no expectations
of the ships and goods he had taken being ransomed in that pan of the
world, and believed they would prove of little value if brought home;
and reflecting on what had formerly been proposed by Captain Woods
Rogers on a similar occasion, of sending a cargo of such prize goods to
Brazil, he resolved to try that experiment. Accordingly, he fitted out
the bark in which he had taken the Countess de Laguna, armed her with
eight guns, and gave her a crew of thirteen Englishmen and ten negroes,
with what provisions and stores he could spare, calling her the
_Chickly_. Into this vessel he put a cargo of European commodities,
valued at upwards of ten thousand pounds, and on the 27th November,
1719, he sailed for Brazil under the command of Captain Mitchell. As
soon as she was gone, he gave up his other prizes to the Spaniards,
taking out of them whatever he thought worth keeping, and detaining one
of the Spanish masters to serve him as pilot, with all the negroes;
after which he sailed from La Plata to resume his cruize on his former
station.

The 12th December he took a vessel bound from Cherisse for Panama with
provisions, which employed the launch and pinnace of the Success a whole
day in bringing on board the flour and other provisions out of the
prize. Having got as much flour out of her as they could well stow away
in t