ary they came to an anchor off an island well suited for beaching
the ship.

Before this Reed had been chosen as captain, Tait as master, and More as
quartermaster. The quarter-deck was here cut down, to make the ship the
better for sailing, and her bottom was scrubbed and tallowed.

In the island were seen vast numbers of large bats, their bodies as big
as ducks, with wings from seven to eight feet from tip to top. The
ground in many places was covered with vines, which ran over it until
they met a tree, when they climbed up it to its topmost branches. They
were of the thickness of walking-canes, the joints being between a
couple and three feet apart.

Again sailing, on the 10th of February they coasted along the shore, but
had not long been out of port when the ship struck on a rock.
Fortunately, the water was smooth and the tide at flood; but, as it was,
they lost a large piece of their rudder, and the ship narrowly escaped
being wrecked.

By the fires they saw burning on the shore, they supposed the country
was thickly inhabited by Spaniards. On the 18th the ship brought up off
the island of Mindano. While she lay there, a canoe with four Indians
came from Manilla. At first they were shy, but, hearing the pirates
speak Spanish, they came alongside, and informed them that the harbour
of Manilla was seldom or never without twenty or thirty sail of vessels,
a few Spaniards and Portuguese, but mostly Chinese.

The pirates told them that they had come to trade with the Spaniards,
and requested them to carry a letter to the merchants there. This was
only a pretence, as their business was only to pillage. A fair
opportunity to trade would have been afforded them, had they really
desired it.

Shortly after sailing, they saw a vessel coming from the northward, and,
making chase, captured her. She was a Spanish bark, bound to Manilla,
but as she had no goods on board they let her go. Two days afterwards
they took another vessel laden with rice and cotton cloth, also bound
for Manilla. The goods were for the Acapulco ship which had escaped
them at Guam, and was now at Manilla.

They now resolved to go to Pulo Condore, which, being out of the way,
they hoped there to remain concealed, and to clean their ship, until the
latter end of May, when they intended to look out for the Acapulco ship,
which was expected to come by about that time. They anchored off Pulo
Condore on the 14th, and found it to be the large