drew off his boat, as I did soon after.  Captain Fry then put some of his men aboard my boat, giving us some powder and shot, and taking in our wounded men, on which he stood away towards our ships, while I resolved to keep the chase if possible from running on shore, and rather than fail to clap her on board.  Seeing our design, the enemy edged off to sea, and we after them.  Our ships came up apace, while we kept close to the Spaniard, sometimes firing at him.  At length the Duchess got up and fired a shot or two, on which she struck, and we immediately boarded.  The men begged for quarter, and we promised them all civility.  This ship was of 270 tons, commanded by Don Joseph Arizabella, and had come from Panama bound for Lima, where she was to have been fitted out as a man of war, the captain having his commission on board for that purpose.  She had seventy negroes on board, with many passengers.  The loading was bale goods, with some things belonging to the bishop, and a considerable quantity of pearls; but the bishop had been landed at Point St Helena, whence he was to go by land to Guayaquil.  Many of the passengers were considerable merchants at Lima, and the briskest Spaniards I ever saw.  After the capture of this ship, Captain Cooke remained on board, sending her captain and the rest of the prisoners to the Duke and Duchess.

[Footnote 222:  This particular action is related by Harris in the words of Captain Cooke, who commanded the boat from the Duchess.—­E.]

We now proceeded on our intended expedition against Guayaquil, sending the Beginning ahead to Punta arena, or Sandy Point, on the island of Puna, to see if there was any force to oppose us; but she only found a Spanish bark, quite empty, riding close under the point.  She had been sent to load salt, but her men had abandoned her on seeing us approach.  At five in the afternoon, our whole force intended for the attack upon Guayaquil, being embarked in boats, rowed for that place; and at eleven at night we could see a light in the town, on which we rowed as easy as we could and in silence, for fear of being discovered; till we were within a mile of the place.  We then heard a sentinel call to another, and after conversing for some time, bid him bring fire.  Perceiving we were now discovered, we rowed to the other side of the river, opposite the town, whence we saw a fire lighted up at the place where the centinels had talked, and soon after we could see lights all over the town and at the water side, heard them ring the alarm bell, fire several vollies, and saw a fire lighted on the hill where the beacon was kept, all on purpose to give notice to the town and neighbourhood that we were come into the river.