y might range
along the coast, and discover the watering-place; they were gone some
days, and our water being now very short, it was a particular felicity
to us that we met with daily supplies of turtle, for had we been
entirely confined to salt provisions, we must have suffered
extremely in so warm a climate. Indeed our present circumstances were
sufficiently alarming, and gave the most considerate amongst us
as much concern as any of the numerous perils we had hitherto
encountered; for our boats, as we conceived by their not returning,
had not as yet discovered a place proper to water at, and by the
leakage of our cask and other accidents, we had not ten days water
on board the whole squadron; so that from the known difficulty of
procuring water on this coast, and the little reliance we had on
the Buccaneer writers, (the only guides we had to trust to) we were
apprehensive of being soon exposed to a calamity, the most terrible
of any in the long disheartening catalogue of the distresses of a
sea-faring life.

But these gloomy suggestions were soon happily ended; for our boats
returned on the 5th of April, having discovered a place proper for our
purpose, about seven miles to the westward of the rocks of Seguataneo,
which, by the description they gave of it, appeared to be the port
called by Dampier the harbour of Chequetan. They were ordered out
again the next day, to sound the harbour and its entrance, which they
had represented as very narrow. At their return they reported the
place to be free from any danger; so that on the 7th we stood in, and
that evening came to an anchor in eleven fathom. The Gloucester came
to an anchor at the same time with us; but the Camelo and the Carmin
having fallen to leeward, the Tryal prize was ordered to join them,
and to bring them in, which in two or three days she effected.

SECTION XXII.

_A short Account of Chequetan, and of the adjacent Coast and Country._

The harbour of Chequetan lies in the latitude of 17 deg. 36' N. and is
about thirty leagues to the westward of Acapulco. It is easy to
be discovered by any ship that will keep well in with the land,
especially by such as range down coast from Acapulco, and will attend
to the following particulars.

There is a beach of sand which extends eighteen leagues from the
harbour of Acapulco to the westward, against which the sea breaks with
such violence that it is impossible to land in any part of it; but yet
the ground i