of
thirty men. Having been unable to distinguish the vessels as they
approached after dark, supposing that they belonged to their own nation,
a priest came off with two boats, and was greatly surprised to find that
they were English. He was, however, well treated, although detained as
a hostage. He agreed to obtain the necessary provisions, and to arrange
for a fair exchange of commodities. He accordingly wrote to the
Governor of the fort, who willingly agreed to the proposed terms. Next
day the natives brought off rice, pineapples, melons, oranges, limes,
cocoa-nuts, and a sort of fruit called by the English bread-fruit, which
proved of the greatest value to the half-starved seamen. The fruit was
baked on shore, and brought off hot ready to be eaten. Besides the
garrison there were only two or three Spanish priests on the island; the
rest of the inhabitants consisting of about one hundred natives. It had
but shortly before been thickly populated, but the natives, attempting
to capture the fort and turn out their tyrants, were, with the help of
Captain Eaton, who put in there at this juncture, either killed or
compelled to fly the island.

Besides the fruit, the Governor sent every day one or two canoes laden
with hogs and various delicacies. While the vessels lay here, a Manilla
ship appeared in the offing, and, unseen by the English, the Governor
made her a signal that the buccaneers were there, and she stood away
from the shore. Running to the southward, however, she got on the shoal
from which Captain Tait had so narrowly escaped, and was very nearly
lost. The pirate crews, hearing of this, were eager to go and capture
her. Captain Swan, however, being sick or ashamed of robbing, and
perhaps suspecting that she would prove a tough customer, persuaded them
to abandon their design.

On the 30th of May the Governor sent off a last present, including six
or seven bags of rice; he also hinted that the west monsoon was at hand,
and that therefore it behoved his visitors to be jogging, unless they
desired to return to America. The same day the friar who had remained
as a hostage was sent on shore with various presents, including a brass
clock, an astrolabe, and a telescope. Grateful for these, he made a
return present of six hogs and a roasting pig, three or four bushels of
potatoes, and fifty pounds of Manilla tobacco.

Besides minor articles they had as many cocoa-nuts as could be stowed, a
good stock of