Journal of Voyages: Containing an Account of the Author's being Twice Captured by the English and Once by Gibbs the Pirate...Dunham, Jacob
History
Journal of Voyages: Containing an Account of the Author's being Twice Captured by the English and Once by Gibbs the Pirate...
Dunham, Jacob
Voyages and travels
On the nineteenth day of February, 1818, we got under weigh, the
wharves being lined with spectators to see a vessel of eighteen tons
commencing a voyage of over two thousand miles. They gave us three
hearty cheers, which we answered by discharging our cannon. A fair wind
carried us to sea, where we kept company for three days, when a violent
gale separated us. I cruised the whole of next day in search of the
Traverse, without finding her. Thinking it useless, I resumed my course
and proceeded to the Island of Old Providence, where we arrived after a
passage of seventeen days, and opened my trade as usual. The Traverse
arrived four days after, having sprung her mast near the deck.
The next day we hauled the Traverse along side of the Price, raised her
masts with the schooner's purchases, sawed off the broken part, about
five feet, took her sails on shore and shortened them to fit the mast,
put them in good order for sea, exchanged part of her goods and gave her
a suitable cargo to retail along the coast. Two or three days after I
gave the captain orders to proceed to the Main and stop to trade at
sundry ports, named in his instructions, and from thence proceed to St.
Blas, where he would meet me in the Price. I took Henry T. Smith with me
to Lagoon, to act as clerk in our store, in place of Mr. Warner, who
wished to return to New-York. I remained here two or three days, and
then sailed for the Lagoon. On my arrival Mr. Warner was in good health,
and much pleased to find himself released by Mr. Smith's taking his
place as clerk in the store. We landed the most of our heavy goods,
made every necessary arrangement for business, and giving the proper
directions, I proceeded to Bluefields, sold a few goods, cancelled some
old debts, and procured a pilot for the coast of St. Blas, for which we
soon after sailed.
I obtained information at Corn Island, at the Lagoon, and at Bluefields,
of the English traders having heard that I intended to extend my trade
to that coast. They had employed an agent whom they had supplied with
the necessary articles of trade, and told the inhabitants that if they
traded with that Yankee captain they would withdraw from them; and also
told them that the Yankee captain might sell them some articles a little
cheaper at first, but that he was a worthless fellow, and could not
continue the trade long, when they would be left destitute, as no
Englishman would supply them. The English traders urged the Indians to
put myself and crew to death, and burn our vessel. My friends who gave
me the information, strongly remonstrated against my going to St. Blas,
saying that my life would be sacrificed in so doing. In a conversation
afterwards with one of the English traders, I spoke of the cold-blooded
murder they wished the St. Blas Indians to be guilty off, which he
denied, but admitted that they told the Indians to destroy our goods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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