IN consideration of the great Risque that Capt. Edward Cooke and Capt. Robert Frye ran in attacking the Marquiss, when in the Hands of the Spaniards, we do in behalf of the Owners agree to give Capt. Cooke the Black Boy Dublin, and Capt. Frye the Black Boy Emanuel of Martineco, as a free Gift.
| Tho. Dover, Pres. | Charles Pope, |
| Woodes Rogers, | John Connely, |
| Stephen Courtney, | John Bridge, |
| William Dampier, | John Ballet, |
| William Stratton, | Lan. Appleby. |
In Tecames Road.
August 30. Yesterday Peter Harry a Frenchman, and Lazarus Luke a Portuguese, both good Sailors, ran from our Yall ashore. This Peter Harry was he who shot a Centinel at Guiaquil as beforemention’d. We did not punish him, because he was a Foreigner, and did not well understand English, but suppose he was afraid of a Prosecution in England. Yesterday Evening at the abovemention’d Committees aboard our Ship, after a long dispute, some Measures were agreed on contrary to my Expectations. If we had not grown irresolute since we left Gorgona, but continued our Design to put our old Ransomer ashore at Manta, and part with our Clog the Marquiss, which I so earnestly press’d the 9th instant, by this time in all human probability we should have made good our Bargain to the advantage of the Voyage, besides getting Provisions and Necessaries that we shall mightily want. The Goods that we might have vended there for ready Money, I fear will rot before we get the like Opportunity, Time being now so far spent, we must proceed as we agreed for the Gallapagos to get Turtle to lengthen our Provisions, and then for the Coast of Mexico to look for the Manila Ship bound for Acapulca. The 2 Negroes given to Capt. Cooke and Mr. Frye in the Committee yesterday, is not an equivalent Gratuity for the Risques they voluntarily ran when they attack’d the Havre de Grace, now call’d the Marquiss. Such Actions ought sometimes to be particularly rewarded among us, else we may lose great Opportunities of Advantage, for want of due Encouragement to personal Bravery, and in this Action where there was but a few concerned, ’twas a fit and cheap way of encouraging the rest, without Offence to any. We put our young Padre ashore, and gave him, as he desir’d, the prettiest young Female Negro we had in the Prize, with some Bays, Linnen, and other things, for his good Services in helping to promote our Trade for Provisions here. We sent also a Male Negro and Piece of Bays to the Tecames Padre, in acknowledgment of his Kindness. The young Padre parted with us extremely pleas’d, and leering under his Hood upon his black Female Angel, we doubt he will crack a Commandment with her, and wipe off the Sin with the Church’s Indulgence. The Indians ashore promise to bring our Men to us, if they can find ’em, we having offer’d ’em a large Gratuity to do it.
August 31. Yesterday in the Afternoon we put ashore our useless Negroes, I having concluded with Sen. Navarre, and taken the best Methods we could to be paid at Jamaica for them, he had also 4 Bales of Bays, and one Piece of Camlet, and became obliged to our Owners for 3500 Pieces of Eight, to be remitted by way of Portobello, with the English trading Sloops to Jamaica; which if he do, ’tis much better than to turn the Negroes ashore as Prisoners of War, as otherwise we must have done to save Provisions. Capt. Courtney took one Obligation, and I the other, he having sign’d a Duplicate to us. We had the best Opinion of this Man’s Honesty and Ability, which made us trust him solely. In the Evening we clear’d our Prisoners, and put them all aboard the Prize, which we left in the Road with only one ordinary Anchor and Hawser, and no Rigging, except what belong’d to the Fore-sail and Fore-yard, which we left them to run the Vessel at High Water into the River. We turn’d ashore here our least responsible Hostage for Guiaquil, resolving to keep but two, which must be carried home. According to the last Conclusion in a Committee of the 29th instant, we came to sail at 6 this Morning. Capt. Cooke lost 2 Spanish Negroes, which he supposed swam ashore from his Ship in the Night. A fresh Gale at S. S. W. At Noon Cape St. Francisco bore S. by W. 1/2 W. distant about 6 Leagues.
Description of Tecames.
The Land to the Northward, which is the Limits of the Bay of Tecames, is a long bluff high Point, and looks white down to the Water. The next Land to the Southward of Tecames is also white Cliffs, but not so high. I saw no Land on any part of the Shore, like those white Cliffs. Between them, which is about 3 Leagues, the Land is lower, full of Wood, and trimming inward makes a small Bay, and the Village of Tecames lies in the Bottom, consisting of 7 Houses and a Church, all low built of split Bamboes, cover’d with Palmetto Leaves, and standing on Posts, with Hog-sties under them. These Houses have notch’d Pieces of Timber instead of Stairs to get up to ’em. The Village lies close by the Water-side, and may be seen when the Bay is open above 4 Leagues. ’Tis suppos’d they had sent off their best Furniture on notice of our Approach, for there was nothing of Worth in their Houses nor Church. The Women had only a Piece of Bays tied about their Middle. The Men are dextrous at hunting and fishing. There is a large Village about 4 Leagues off, where the Padre resides, and several Indians live between these Villages. The next River, 3 Leagues to the Northward, is very large, and call’d Rio de las Esmeraldas, but shoal’d; the Country about is thinly inhabited by Indians, Mullattoes and Samboes. By the Village of Tecames there’s a River into which a Boat may enter at half Tide; it flows here above 3 Fathom Water, the Flood runs to the Northward, and the Ebb to the Southward; there is an infinite Number of Plantains for 3 Days Journey into the Country, the nearest are about a League from the Houses, and were brought to our Boats down this River in their Canoes. Here runs a great Surf on the Shore, so that were it not in these Parts of the World, it would be but an ordinary Road. Ships generally come in from the Southward, or at least directly in with the Southermost white Land, and then bear away, because (as we were inform’d) there is an ugly Shole runs off the Northernmost white Land, about 2 Leagues into the Sea, being the Place where we had but 8 Fathom Water on the 23d instant, as I noted before. We now came in from abreast off Cape St. Francisco, Lat. 1°. 00´´. N. and this lies in about E.N.E. near 6 Leagues from Cape St. Francisco. We came no nearer than half a League of the Shore, because there is a small Shole off of a Point about half way between Tecames; and the Cape, which is an indifferent high Promontory, and as we made it, falls down like Stairs to the Water. We had good clean Ground where we rode near half a League from the Shore in 7 Fathom Water, but a League into the Bottom of the Bay, where the Houses lie, there’s not above 3 Fathom a good Musket-shot from the Shore. There is another River enters in by a single House between us and Tecames Village, where we fetch’d our Water about 2 Leagues up this River; and it’s very narrow, and shoal’d all from the Entrance; we went in on half Flood. Here’s Sea and Land Breezes, as well as on all this Coast near the Main Land; the Sea Breeze at W. and W.S.W. the Land Breeze at S. and S. by E. The Sea Breeze comes generally in the Afternoon, and holds till Midnight, when comes the Land Breeze, which dies away calm towards the Middle of the Day. There’s a Rock under Water at quarter Flood, and a Shoal above a Cable’s Length off Shore, from the first Point as you go in for the narrow River where we water’d. A Ship ought not to come to an Anchor near the Shore, if High Water, in less than 6 Fathom, because at certain times, and out of course, as the Indians told us, the Tide ebbs exceeding low. It’s dry Weather here, tho’ showry to the Northward, being the Limits of the Rains at this time of the Year. From June to December ’tis always dry, and from the Beginning of January to the last of May there are Showers now and then.
The Indians about this Place are sometimes barbarous to the Spaniards, as our Prisoners tell us. Our People saw here about 50 armed with Bows and Arrows, and some good Fire-Arms; they are worse to engage than double the Number of Spaniards, so that it would have been folly in us to land Men here, where there is so little to be got; and the Indians with poison’d Arrows and Fire-Arms would line the Bushes down to the Water-side, and no doubt we should have lost many of our Men, had we landed by force; so that we are all extremely obliged to Mr. White our Linguist, for negotiating a Trade in so peaceable a manner with these poor mischievous Wretches, which must in Justice be ascrib’d to his good Management, he accomplishing it voluntarily with the Danger of his Life.
’Twas off this Cape that Sir Francis Drake in 1578. took the rich Plate Prize; and Sir Richard Hawkins was taken by the Spaniards in this Bay off of Tecames in 1594. both in Queen Elizabeth’s Time.
Sept. 1. At 6 this Morning Cape St. Francisco bore S. E. distant 10 Leagues, from whence we take our Departure. Had fair Weather, Wind at S. W. by S. We saw many Water-snakes, one of ’em crawl’d up the Side of Capt. Cooke’s Ship, but was beat off by his Men. The Spaniards say their Bite is incurable.