Chapter Twenty Two.
Dampier’s voyages, continued—A.D. 1686.
The Cygnet and a bark sail from Cape Corrientes for the Ladrones—Short allowance of food—The crew threaten to mutiny—Narrow escape from shipwreck—Guam reached—Friendly intercourse with the Governor—Provisions obtained—A friar kept as hostage—A Manilla ship appears and escapes—Quit Guam and reach Mindanao, one of the Philippines—Visit from Rajah Laut—The Viceroy—An officer visits the Sultan—Friendly reception—Entertainments on shore—Rajah Laut’s treachery—The crew become discontented—Run off with the Cygnet leaving Captain Swan and portion of the crew on shore—Many die poisoned by the natives—The Cygnet lays in wait for the Manilla ship—Reed chosen as captain—Put into a harbour—Refit the ship and cut down the quarter-deck—Nearly wrecked—Anchor off Mindano—Go to Polo Condore—Refit the ship—Live on friendly terms with the natives—Again sail—Some of a boat’s crew killed by Malays—Proceed to the west of China—Remarks on the natives—Come off the Pescadores—Obtain provisions from the natives—The Bashee Islands visited—Leave Luconia—Dampier desires to return for Captain Swan—Hears of his death—Waterspouts—Anchor off Callasunguny—Visits exchanged with the Sultan—Sail for the coast of New Holland—Intercourse with the natives—Sail for the Nicobar Islands—A canoe with natives captured—Dampier set on shore—Brought off again—Again set on shore with several companions—They obtain a canoe, and set sail for Achin—Perilous voyage—Reach Achin—Sufferings of the voyagers—Dampier makes several voyages, and becomes gunner at Boncoulin—Plan of trading to Meangis—The Painted Prince—He escapes privately to Boncoulin on board the Defence—Reaches England after twelve years absence—Death of the Painted Prince-Dampier publishes his adventures.
On the 31st of March, 1686, the Cygnet, with a hundred men on board, commanded by Captain Swan, and a bark, commanded by Captain Tait, with whom went fifty men besides slaves, made sail from Cape Corrientes with a fresh breeze of north-north-east. The only provisions they had been able to obtain were some Jew-fish, caught by the Mosquito men, and salted, and a store of maize. They now steered due west for the Ladrones. As they might possibly be fifty or sixty days before making Guam, the crews were at once put on short allowance, having only one meal a day. In three days they had consumed their salted Jew-fish, and had now nothing but the maize on which to subsist. However, they made good runs every day before the fresh trade winds, and in about twenty days the crews, expecting to get soon in, insisted on having a larger allowance.
With some reluctance the captain allowed them ten spoonfuls of maize a day each man, instead of eight. Dampier declares that he benefited by this meagre fare, and drank about three times every twenty-four hours, but some men drank only once in nine or ten days, and one did not swallow any liquid for seventeen days, and asserted that he did not feel at all thirsty. They ran on for nearly five thousand miles without seeing a flying-fish or fowl of any sort, but then they fell in with a number of boobies, which they supposed came from some rocks not far off. As they approached Guam some rain fell, a sign that they were in the neighbourhood of land. Many of the crew were in a state of mutiny, and had formed a plot to kill Captain Swan and eat him should their provisions fail, and they had now only meal sufficient for three days more.
He was a stout, lusty man, and when the danger was past he remarked, laughing, “Ah, Dampier, you would have made them but a poor meal!” for the latter was as lean as the captain was fat.
The bark being ahead, passed over a shoal with only four fathoms of water on it, on which Captain Tait hauled his wind and waited for the Cygnet. He then came on board and described what he had seen. At first they were very doubtful where they had got to, as no shoal was marked on the Spanish charts; but by keeping northward, at four o’clock that evening, the 20th of May, the island of Guam was sighted. On the following day the two vessels came to an anchor on the western side of Guam, about a mile from shore, after a run of seven thousand three hundred and two miles. The Spaniards had here a port and a garrison of thirty men. Having been unable to distinguish the vessels as they approached after dark, supposing that they belonged to their own nation, a priest came off with two boats, and was greatly surprised to find that they were English. He was, however, well treated, although detained as a hostage. He agreed to obtain the necessary provisions, and to arrange for a fair exchange of commodities. He accordingly wrote to the Governor of the fort, who willingly agreed to the proposed terms. Next day the natives brought off rice, pineapples, melons, oranges, limes, cocoa-nuts, and a sort of fruit called by the English bread-fruit, which proved of the greatest value to the half-starved seamen. The fruit was baked on shore, and brought off hot ready to be eaten. Besides the garrison there were only two or three Spanish priests on the island; the rest of the inhabitants consisting of about one hundred natives. It had but shortly before been thickly populated, but the natives, attempting to capture the fort and turn out their tyrants, were, with the help of Captain Eaton, who put in there at this juncture, either killed or compelled to fly the island.
Besides the fruit, the Governor sent every day one or two canoes laden with hogs and various delicacies. While the vessels lay here, a Manilla ship appeared in the offing, and, unseen by the English, the Governor made her a signal that the buccaneers were there, and she stood away from the shore. Running to the southward, however, she got on the shoal from which Captain Tait had so narrowly escaped, and was very nearly lost. The pirate crews, hearing of this, were eager to go and capture her. Captain Swan, however, being sick or ashamed of robbing, and perhaps suspecting that she would prove a tough customer, persuaded them to abandon their design.
On the 30th of May the Governor sent off a last present, including six or seven bags of rice; he also hinted that the west monsoon was at hand, and that therefore it behoved his visitors to be jogging, unless they desired to return to America. The same day the friar who had remained as a hostage was sent on shore with various presents, including a brass clock, an astrolabe, and a telescope. Grateful for these, he made a return present of six hogs and a roasting pig, three or four bushels of potatoes, and fifty pounds of Manilla tobacco.
Besides minor articles they had as many cocoa-nuts as could be stowed, a good stock of rice, and fifty hogs in salt. This store, they hoped, was amply sufficient to carry them on to Mindanao, one of the Philippine Islands, where they had resolved to go.