Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager: With an account of the great distresses suffered by himself and his companions on the coast of Patagonia from the year 1740 till their arrival in England 1746Byron, John
History
Byron's Narrative of the Loss of the Wager: With an account of the great distresses suffered by himself and his companions on the coast of Patagonia from the year 1740 till their arrival in England 1746
Byron, John
Chiloé (Chile); Patagonia (Argentina and Chile); Wager (Ship)
discipline, however, preserved the convoy; for though the privateer
kept company a long time, she was not so fortunate as to meet with the
reward of her perseverance.
On the 27th of October, in the evening, we made Cape Ortegal; and on
the 31st, came to an anchor in Brest road. The Lys having so valuable
a cargo on board, was towed into the harbour the next morning, and
lashed alongside one of their men of war. The money was soon landed;
and the officers and men, who had been so many years absent from
their native country, were glad to get on shore. Nobody remained on
board but a man or two to look after the ship, and we three English
prisoners who had no leave to go ashore. The weather was extremely
cold, and felt particularly so to us, who had been so long used to hot
climates; and what made it still worse, we were very thinly clad. We
had neither fire nor candle; for they were allowed on board of no ship
in the harbour, for fear of accidents, being close to their magazines
in the dock-yard. Some of the officers belonging to the ship were so
kind to send us off victuals every day, or we might have starved; for
Monsieur L'Intendant never sent us even a message; and though there was
a very large squadron of men of war fitting out at that time, not one
officer belonging to them ever came near Captain Cheap. From five in
the evening we were obliged to sit in the dark; and if we chose to have
any supper, it was necessary to place it very near us before that time,
or we never could have found it. We had passed seven or eight days in
this melancholy manner, when one morning a kind of row-galley came
alongside, with a number of English prisoners belonging to two large
privateers the French had taken. We were ordered into the same boat
with them, and were carried four leagues up the river to Landernaw. At
this town we were upon our parole; so took the best lodgings we could
get, and lived very well for three months, when an order came from
the court of Spain to allow us to return home by the first ship that
offered. Upon this, hearing there was a Dutch ship at Morlaix ready to
sail, we took horses and travelled to that town, where we were obliged
to remain six weeks, before we had an opportunity of getting away. At
last we agreed with the master of a Dutch dogger to land us at Dover,
and paid him beforehand. When we had got down the river into the road,
a French privateer that was almost ready to sail upon a cruize, hailed
the Dutchman, and told him to come to an anchor; and that if he offered
to sail before him, he would sink him. This he was forced to comply
with, and lay three days in the road, cursing the Frenchman, who at
the end of that time put to sea, and then we were at liberty to do the
same. We had a long uncomfortable passage. About the ninth day, before
sunset, we saw Dover, and reminded the Dutchman of his agreement to
land us there. He said he would; but instead of that, in the morning
we were off the coast of France.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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