Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master MarinerRogers, Woodes
History
Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner
Rogers, Woodes
Privateering -- Early works to 1800; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
"The enemy," says Rogers, "drew up their horse at the end of the
street, fronting our men and barks, and lin'd the houses with men at
half musket shot of the bank where we landed, making a formidable
show in respect to our little number. We landed and fired every man
on his knee at the brink of the bank, then loaded, and as we advanc'd
call'd to our bark to forbear firing, for fear of hurting our men. We
who landed kept loading and firing very fast; but the enemy made only
one discharge, and retir'd back to their guns, where their horse drew
up a second time. We got to the first houses, and as we open'd the
street, saw four guns pointing at us before a spacious church, but as
our men came in sight firing, the horse scower'd off. This encouraged
me to call to our men to run and seize the guns, and I hasten'd towards
'em with eight or ten men till within pistol shot, when we all fir'd,
some at the gunners, and others at the men in arms in front of the
church, where they were very numerous; but by the time we had loaded
and more of our men came in sight, they began to run, and quitted the
guns, after firing them with round and partridge, one of the last was
discharged at us very near, but, thanks to God, did us no hurt; and
they had not time to relade them. By this time the rest of our men were
come up with Capt. Courtney and Captain Dover, and they leaving me with
a few men to guard the church, marched to the other end of the town,
and so," as Rogers says in his marginal note, "we beat 'em out of the
town."
[Sidenote: _We post guards._]
Guards were now posted in all directions round the town, and the
Spaniards' guns turned, and left in charge of Captain Dampier to defend
the great place in front of the church. While Captain Dover fired
some houses that commanded another church in which he had taken up a
position, "there being a hill and thick woods near this post, from
which the enemy were almost continually popping at him all night." The
portable plunder of the town, with the exception "of jars of wine and
brandy in great plenty, proved of little value;" while "the sultry,
hot, wet unhealthful weather made the carrying of these to the water
side a work of great fatigue." Only half-an-hour elapsed from the time
of landing until the Spaniards vacated the place, and their loss was
but fifteen killed and wounded; while out of Rogers' small force only
two were hurt, one of these being "mortally wounded by the bursting of
a cohorn shell fir'd out of one their own mortars on board the bark."
The following day Rogers says, "we kept our colours flying on the great
church, and sent the Lieutenant of Puna with proposals to ransom the
town."
[Sidenote: _We plunder the Town._]
[Sidenote: _The seamen's civility to the Spanish ladies._]
[Sidenote: _The value of the chains, &c., they found on the ladies._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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