ed the light, keeping all our hands at their respective quarters,
under an expectation of engaging in the next half hour, as we
sometimes conceived the chase to be about a mile distant, and at other
times to be within reach of our guns; and some positively averred,
that besides the light, they could plainly discern her sails. The
commodore himself was so fully persuaded that we should be soon
along-side of her, that he sent for his first lieutenant, who
commanded between decks, and directed him to see all the great guns
loaded with two round-shot for the first broadside, and after that
with one round-shot and one grape, strictly charging him, at the same
time, not to suffer a gun to be fired, till he, the commodore, should
give orders, which he informed the lieutenant would not be till we
arrived within pistol-shot of the enemy. In this constant and eager
attention we continued all night, always presuming that another
quarter of an hour would bring us up with this Manilla ship, whose
wealth, with that of her supposed consort, we now estimated by round
millions. But when the morning broke, and day-light came on, we were
most strangely and vexatiously disappointed, by finding that the light
which had occasioned all this bustle and expectancy was only a fire
on the shore. Indeed the circumstances of this deception are so
extraordinary as to be scarcely credible; for, by our run during the
night, and the distance of the land in the morning, this fire, when we
first discovered it, must have been above twenty-five leagues from
us. It was indeed upon a very high mountain, and continued burning
for several days afterwards; it was not a volcano, but rather, as
I suppose, stubble, or heath, set on fire for some purpose of
agriculture.[1]

[Footnote 1: The reasons for this supposition ought to have been
adduced. It is not improbable that the volcanic mountain in the
neighbourhood of Acapulco did furnish this vexatious light.--E.]

At sun-rising, after this mortifying delusion, we found ourselves
about nine leagues off the land, which extended from the N.W. to E.
1/2 N. On this land we observed two remarkable hummocks, such as are
usually called paps, which bore north from us: These, a Spanish pilot
and two Indians, who were the only persons amongst us that pretended
to have traded in this part of the world, affirmed to be over the
harbour of Acapulco. Indeed, we very much doubted their knowledge of
the coast; for we found these