es had been propagated about the strength of the sides
of these ships, and their being impenetrable to cannon-shot; that
these fictions had been principally invented to palliate the cowardice
of those who had formerly engaged them; but he hoped there were none
of those present weak enough to give credit to so absurd a story: For
his own part, he did assure them upon his word, that, whenever he met
with them, he would fight them so near, that they should find, his
bullets, instead of being stopped by one of their sides, should go
through them both.

This speech of the commodore's was received by his people with
great joy: For no sooner had he ended, than they expressed their
approbation, according to naval custom, by three strenuous cheers, and
all declared their determination to succeed or perish, whenever the
opportunity presented itself. And now their hopes, which, since their
departure from the coast of Mexico, had entirely subsided, were again
revived; and they all persuaded themselves, that, notwithstanding the
various casualties and disappointments they had hitherto met with,
they should yet be repaid the price of their fatigues, and should at
last return home enriched with the spoils of the enemy: For, firmly
relying on the assurances of the commodore, that they should certainly
meet with the vessels, they were all of them too sanguine to doubt a
moment of mastering them; so that they considered themselves as
having them already in their possession. And this confidence was
so universally spread through the whole ship's company, that, the
commodore having taken some Chinese sheep to sea with him for his own
provision, and one day enquiring of his butcher, why, for some time
past, he had seen no mutton at his table, asking him if all the sheep
were killed, the butcher very seriously replied, that there were
indeed two sheep left, but that, if his honour would give him leave,
he proposed to keep those for the entertainment of the general of the
galleons.

When the Centurion left the port of Macao, she stood for some days to
the westward; and, on the first of May, they saw part of the island
of Formosa; and, standing thence to the southward, they, on the 4th
of May, were in the latitude of the Bashee islands, as laid down by
Dampier; but they suspected his account of inaccuracy, as they found
that he had been considerably mistaken in the latitude of the south
end of Formosa: For this reason they kept a good look-ou