guide Captain Clipperton and his people to the surprizal of Truxillo,
a town to the southward of Payta; where, however, he contrived to
alarm and save his countrymen, though the place was carried and
pillaged. It is certainly an extraordinary incident, that the only two
attempts on shore, and at so long an interval, should have been
guided by the same person, a prisoner both times, and forced upon, the
service contrary to his inclination.

During our preparation, the ships continued to stand for the port with
all the sail they could carry, secure that we were still at too great
a distance to be seen. About ten at night, being then within five
leagues of Payta, Lieutenant Brett put off with the boats under his
command, and arrived at the mouth of the bay undiscovered. He had no
sooner entered the bay, than some of the people in a ship riding there
at anchor perceived him, and getting instantly into their boat, rowed
towards the fort, shouting and crying, _The English! the English
dogs!_ By this the whole town was suddenly alarmed, and our people
soon observed several lights hurrying backwards and forwards in the
fort, and other indications of the inhabitants being all in motion.
On this, Mr Brett encouraged his men to pull briskly, that they might
give the enemy as little time as possible to prepare for defence. Yet,
before our boats could reach the shore, the people in the fort had
got some of their cannons ready, and pointed them towards the
landing-place; and though, in the darkness of the night, chance may
be supposed to have had a greater share in their direction than skill,
yet the first shot passed extremely near one of our boats, whistling
just over the heads of the crew. This made our people redouble their
efforts, so that they had reached the shore, and were in part landed,
by the time the second shot was fired.

As soon as our men were landed, they were conducted by one of the
pilots to the entrance of a narrow street, not above fifty yards from
the beach, where they were covered from the fire of the fort; and
being here formed as well as the shortness of the time would allow,
they marched immediately for the parade, a large square at the other
end of this street, on one side of which stood the fort, while the
governor's house formed another side of the same square. In this
march, though performed with tolerable regularity, the shouts and
clamours of nearly threescore sailors, who had been so long confined