e had another
trial with the Frenchman, knowing it would be of bad consequences to let
him go, as he would discover our being in these seas to the Spaniards;
but our captain opposed this, saying, he knew where he could get to the
value of 500,000_l_. at any time. So we concluded to return to Juan
Fernandez, to get our anchors, long boats, and several tons of water
already casked, together with a ton of sea-lion oil, which we had left
there. Captain Stradling also had left five of his men, who were gone to
the west part of the island, and knew nothing of our going away after
the enemy. He had also left all his sails, besides those at the yards,
and a great many other stores.

We had then the wind at S. directly off Juan Fernandez, so that it was
difficult to go there; and while beating up we saw two sail, to which
the Cinque-ports was very near, and they fired several shots at her, but
she rowed away to us, and reported them to be two French ships of about
36 guns each; on which the two captains thought it convenient to bear
away for the coast of Peru, leaving Captain Stradling's five men, with
his other stores, which he could ill spare, and now we had neither of us
any boats. We accordingly stood for the coast of Peru on the 6th March,
and fell in with it on the 11th, in lat. 24 deg. 53' S.[208] The land here
was very high, having three distinct ranges of hills behind each other,
that nearest the water the lowest, and the farthest off the highest. We
coasted along shore to the northward, and passed the port of _Capaipo_
on the 14th, said to be a very good harbour, fenced from almost all
winds. The land is here inhabited by Indians, who make good wines; and
it is said to abound in good meat, corn, and other provisions, and from
this port they export wine, money, and other goods for Coquimbo. We
would willingly have gone ashore for refreshments, but could not for
want of boats.

[Footnote 208: There must be a material error here, as they afterwards,
in sailing along the coast _to the northwards_, passed Copaipo, which is
in lat. 27 deg. 13' S. and they consequently must have fallen in with the
coast of Chili, improperly named Peru in the text, considerably farther
south.--E.]

Continuing along the coast, which is the highest and most mountainous I
ever saw, we were surprised, on the 19th of March, to see the waves
changed to a red colour for seven or eight leagues, though on sounding
we had no ground at 170 fathoms; bu