[Footnote 244:  This unexplained circumstance probably meant, that the Success had at this time Spanish pilots, who betrayed her.—­E.]

In this dangerous emergency, Captain Clipperton being overcome with liquor, and quite unable to command, the officers came to the resolution of running clear from the enemy as soon as they could get the ship afloat, and signed a paper to indemnify Mr Cook if he would assume the command.  By four in the afternoon of the 29th they got the ship afloat, and cut away their small bower anchor, but ran aground again in ten minutes.  At nine they carried out the kedge-anchor, but the hawser broke in heaving.  They now carried out another hawser, having a lower-deck gun fixed to it, as they had now lost all their anchors, and were still aground.  At two in the morning of the 30th the enemy repeatedly called upon them to surrender, or they might expect no quarter.  At five they carried out the main-top-mast shrowd hawser, with another gun, still plying the enemy with their great guns and small-arms, though they were able to do little harm; while the enemy never missed them, especially directing their shot at the boats of the Success, whenever they saw them in motion.  At eleven in the forenoon of the 30th they carried out the remains of their best bower-cable, with two lower-deck guns, which they dropped right a-head in five fathoms water.  They now cleared the hold, ready to start their water to lighten the ship; got their upper and lower-deck guns forwards, to bring her by the head as she hung abaft on the rocks, and kept two guns constantly firing from the stern-ports at the enemy’s battery, but could not get them to bear.  During the last twenty-four hours they had fortunately only one man wounded; but the ship was wretchedly injured between wind and water, and her rigging torn to pieces.

At six in the afternoon of the 30th the ship floated, when they cut away their yawl, having been sunk by a shot.  They hove taught their cable, and then cut it away, together with the two hawsers, and sent the pinnace a-head to tow the ship off.  Just as the ship got afloat, the enemy fired with great briskness from their new battery, their shot raking through the Success between wind and water, killed one of her men, and wounded two others.

The Success had now remained fifty hours as a fair mark for the enemy to fire at, during which they lost both their bower-anchors and cables, with the stern and kedge-anchors, four hawsers, four lower-deck guns, nineteen barrels of powder, two men killed and six wounded; and had they not now got off, it was believed they must have been sunk before morning.  At ten in the forenoon of the 31st they hove to, and began to splice their rigging, not a rope of which had escaped the shot of the enemy.  The masts and yards were all sore wounded; and the carpenters had to work during the whole night, stopping-the shot-holes in the hull.  They stowed away most of their guns in the hold, barred