s small-arms, never allowing us a
moment's ease, but as soon as his broadside was ready, he gave his ship
the starboard helm, bringing as many of his guns to bear as possible,
and at the same time kept me from the wind. We returned his fire as
briskly as we could; but, in our precipitate retreat from the town, most
of our small arms were wetted, so that it was long before they were of
any use. During this action, there was a strange contusion on shore,
where the people had flocked down from the hills to extinguish the fire
in Payta, in which some of them were busily employed, while others stood
on the shore, spectators of our engagement. I was long in despair of
getting away from the Spaniard, expecting nothing less than to be torn
in pieces by his superior fire, unless we could have an opportunity of
trying our heels with him while our masts remained standing. I expected
every minute that he would board us, and hearing a hallooing among them,
and seeing their forecastle full of men, I concluded that they had come
to this resolution; but soon saw that it proceeded from our ensign being
shot down, on which I made another be displayed in the mizen-shrouds, on
sight of which they lay snug as before, keeping close upon our quarter.
Intending at length to do our business at once, they clapped their helm
hard a-starboard, in order to bring their whole broadside to bear, but
their fire had little effect, and it muzzled themselves, which gave us
an opportunity to get away from them.

This certainly was a lucky escape, after an engagement of three glasses
with an enemy so much our superior; for he had 56 guns and 450 men,
while we had only 20 guns mounted and only 73 men, of whom 11 were
negroes and two Indians. He had farther the vast advantage over us of
being in perfect readiness, while we were in the utmost confusion; and
in the middle of the engagement, a third of my people, instead of
fighting, were hard at work in preparing for an obstinate resistance;
particularly the carpenter and his crew, who were busy in making
port-holes for stern-chase guns, which, as it happened, we made no use
of. Yet were we not unhurt, as the loss of my boat and anchor were
irreparable, and may be said to have been the cause of that scene of
trouble which fell upon us soon after; as we had now only one anchor
remaining, that lost at Payta being the third, and we had not now a boat
of any kind. I have since learnt that some of our shots in the
e