Two Days after this, we fell in with a Spanish Garde de Costa, and Two Sloops; they boarded, and with very little Resistance, took the Ship, tho’ she had Fourscore Hands on board, and our Sloop but Ninety.  She was mounted with Twenty Guns, but her great Shot did us but little Damage.  The two Sloops were English, going to the Bay of Campechy with Provisions, which we wanted very much.  They were taken but the Day before by the Spaniards, and tho’ they endeavoured to get off, when they saw we had carried the Frigate, yet our Sloop wrong’d ’em so much, that we soon came up with, and took them.  There were Twelve Englishmen on board the Prize, Four of which took on with us.

Our Captain now quitted his Sloop, went on board the Ship, which he called the Basilisk, and left the Three Sloops to the Spaniards.  The Eight English, who refused to take on with him, he kept on board, promising to set them on shore on the East End of Jamaica in few Days, but refused them one of the Sloops, which they desired; I suppose, fearing, at their Arrival, some Man of War might be sent in Search of him, or, may be, hoping to bring them over, for, it’s certain he had no Design to land them as he promis’d.

Our Ship’s Crew was now extreamly jocund, for they had Provisions for at least Three Months, with what they took out of the English Sloops, and, in Money, they found upwards of an Hundred and Sixty Thousand Pieces of Eight, and Two Thousand Gold Quadruples.  We lost but Three Men in boarding, so that our Crew, with the Four English who join’d ’em, consisted of Ninety and One Man.

For Three Weeks after we met with no Adventure; wherefore the Captain resolved to cruize off the Havana, and many of our Water-casks being emptied, and we not far from the River of Chagre, we made for, and came to an Anchor at the Mouth of that River, and sent our Boats ashore with the Casks.

After we had water’d, we steer’d for the Havana, and between Portobello and Carthagena, we spied a Sail; as she clapp’d upon a Wind, as soon as she descry’d us, and we went upon One Mast, we soon met, but were as willing to shake her off, as we had been to speak to her.  She proved a Forty Gun French Ship, which handled us without the least Ceremony.  We began the Fight by a Broad-side, as we were under her Stern, which raked her fore and aft, and must, doubtless, as she was full of Men, do great Execution.  She returned the Compliment; and tho’ we lost but few Men, yet they miserably cut our Rigging.  Our Captain found his Business was to board, or her Weight of Metal would soon send us to the Bottom.  We enter’d the greater Number of our Men, who were so warmly received, that but few came off; and as she was preparing to board us in her Turn, if we had not, by a lucky Shot, brought her Main-top-mast by the board, by which Accident we got off, she had certainly carried us.  Upon this we got our Fore-Tack to the Cat-head, hoisted our Top-sails a-trip, and went away all Sails drawing.  In few Hours we lost Sight of her, and then upon the Muster, we found that she had kill’d us Two and Forty of our Men, and wounded Fifteen, which was a very sensible Loss, and made the Captain alter his Course, and think of lying off Campechy, in hopes of geting more Men.