e evening on the 27th of September, directing her course
to the southward, with a view of cruising for some days to the windward
of Valparaiso.

CHAPTER 17.
MORE CAPTURES--ALARM OF THE COAST--PAITA.

DISAPPOINTMENT.

Though, after leaving Captain Saunders, we were very expeditious in
regaining our station, where we got the 29th at noon, yet in plying on
and off till the 6th of October we had not the good fortune to discover a
sail of any sort, and then, having lost all hopes of making any advantage
by a longer stay, we made sail to the leeward of the port in order to
join our prizes; but when we arrived on the station appointed for them we
did not meet with them, though we continued there four or five days. We
supposed that some chase had occasioned their leaving the station, and
therefore we proceeded down the coast to the high land of Nasca, where
Captain Saunders was directed to join us. Here we arrived on the 21st,
and were in great expectation of meeting with some of the enemy's ships
on the coast, as both the accounts of former voyages and the information
of our prisoners assured us that all ships bound to Callao constantly
make this land, to prevent the danger of running to the leeward of the
port. But notwithstanding the advantages of this station we saw no sail
till the 2nd of November, when two ships appeared in sight together. We
immediately gave them chase, but soon perceived that they were the
Trial's and Centurion's prizes. We found they had not been more fortunate
in their cruise than we were, for they had seen no vessel since they
separated from us.

We bore away the same afternoon, taking particular care to keep at such a
distance from the shore that there might be no danger of our being
discovered from thence.

By the 5th of November, at three in the afternoon, we were advanced
within view of the high land of Barranca, and an hour and a half
afterwards we had the satisfaction we had so long wished for, of seeing a
sail. She first appeared to leeward, and we all immediately gave her
chase; but the Centurion so much out sailed the two prizes that we soon
ran them out of sight, and gained considerably on the chase. However,
night coming on before we came up to her, we about seven o'clock lost
sight of her, and were in some perplexity what course to steer; but at
last Mr. Anson resolved, as we were then before the wind, to keep all his
sails set and not to change his course. For though we had no do