as his second officer, with liberty to take out
what goods he might be able to procure, in his own name. As de Grange
was not a little embarrassed, he accepted this offer, and procured a
commission for Fitzgerald as second captain. They accordingly manned
the Zelerin chiefly with French seamen, and some English, and got very
well round Cape Horn. At this time our two privateers, the Success and
Speedwell, were known to be in the South Seas, and the Zelerin was
one of the ships commissioned by the viceroy of Peru to cruize for
us. Fitzgerald sold all his goods to great advantage at Lima, where he
continued to reside; while de Grange served as captain under Admiral
Don Pedro Miranda, who took Hately and me prisoners.

[Footnote 2: This, certainly, is a mistake for Cadiz, often named
Cales by English seamen; and, in fact, only a few lines lower down,
the place is actually named Cales.--E.]

Though great sufferers by so many confiscations, the merchants of St
Malo were not entirely discouraged; for, in the year 1720, we found
the Solomon of St Malo, of 40 guns, and 150 men, at _Ylo_, on the
coast of Chili, with several Spanish barks at her stern. In the course
of six weeks, she sold all her cargo, got in a supply of provisions,
and left the coast without interruption, as by this time Martinet's
squadron had left the coast. Encouraged by the success of the Solomon,
the merchants of St Malo fitted out fourteen sail together, all of
which arrived in the South Sea in the beginning of the year 1721.
Three of the commanders of these ships, being well acquainted with the
creolians, quickly sold their cargoes and returned home. About this
time, the people of Lima judged that our privateers were gone off the
coast, or at least would not commit any more hostilities, because
of the truce between the two crowns. Wherefore, the three Spanish
men-of-war that had been fitted out to cruize against us, were ordered
against these fresh interlopers. I was on board the Flying-fish, an
advice-boat that accompanied the men-of-war, when they came up with
eleven sail of the St Malo ships, which were then altogether on the
coast of Chili, and, instead of firing on them, the Spaniards joined
them as friends. At first, expecting to have been attacked, the French
ships drew up in a line, as if daring the ships of war. This seemed to
me somewhat strange, that three such ships, purposely fitted out for
this cruize, should decline doing their duty on th