It is supposed, that in his walk up to the top of the hill,
which he used to take every day, to see if any vessels might be in
the Straits, he fell in with the Commodore--that they had come to
contention, and had both fallen over the precipice together. No one
saw the meeting, but they must have fallen over the rocks, as the
bodies are dreadfully mangled." On inquiry, Philip ascertained that all chance of saving the _Lion_
had been lost after the second night, when she had beat in her
larboard streak, and had six feet of water in the hold--that the crew
had been very insubordinate, and had consumed almost all the spirits;
and that not only all the sick had already perished, but also
many others who had either fallen over the rocks when they were
intoxicated, or had been found dead in the morning, from their
exposure during the night. "Then the poor Commodore's prophecy has been fulfilled!" observed
Philip to Krantz. "Many others, and even the Admiral himself, have
perished with him--peace be with them! And now let us get away from
this horrible place as soon as possible." Philip then gave orders to the officer to collect his men, and the
provisions that remained, for immediate embarkation. Krantz followed
soon after with all the boats, and before night everything was on
board. The bodies of the Admiral and Commodore were buried where they
lay, and the next morning the _Dort_ was under weigh, and, with a
slanting wind, was laying a fair course through the Straits. Chapter XIX


It appeared as if their misfortunes were to cease, after the tragical
death of the two commanders. In a few days, the _Dort_ had passed
through the Straits of Magellan, and was sailing in the Pacific Ocean,
with a blue sky and quiet sea. The ship's company recovered their
health and spirits, and the vessel being now well manned, the duty was
carried on with cheerfulness. In about a fortnight, they had gained well up on the Spanish coast,
but although they had seen many of the inhabitants on the beach, they
had not fallen in with any vessels belonging to the Spaniards. Aware
that if he met with a Spanish ship of superior force it would attack
him, Philip had made every preparation, and had trained his men to the
guns. He had now, with the joint crews of the vessels, a well-manned
ship, and the anticipation of prize-money had made his men very eager
to fall in with some Spaniard, which they knew that Philip would
capture if he could. Light winds and calms detained them for a month
on the coast, when Philip determined upon running for the Isle St
Marie, where, though he knew it was in possession of the Spaniards, he
yet hoped to be able to procure refreshments for the ship's company,
either by fair means or by force. The _Dort_ was, by their reckoning,
about thirty miles from the island, and having run in until after
dark, they had hove-to till the next morning. Krantz was on deck;
he leant over the side, and as the sails flapped to the masts, he
attempted to define the line of the horizon. It was very dark, but as
he watched, he thought that he perceived a light for a moment, and
which then disappeared. Fixing his eyes on the spot, he soon made out
a vessel, hove-to, and not two cables' length distant. He hastened
down to apprise Philip, and procure a glass. By the time Philip was
on deck, the vessel had been distinctly made out to be a three-masted
xebeque, very low in the water. After a short consultation, it was
agreed that the boats on the quarter should be lowered down, and
manned and armed without noise, and that they should steal gently
alongside and surprise her. The men were called up, silence enjoined,
and in a few minutes the boats' crew had possession of the vessel;
having boarded her and secured the hatches before the alarm could be
given by the few who were on deck. More men were then taken on board
by Krantz, who, as agreed upon, lay to under the lee of the _Dort_
until the daylight made its appearance. The hatches were then taken
off, and the prisoners sent on board of the _Dort_. There were sixty
people on board, a large number for a vessel of that description. On being interrogated, two of the prisoners, who were well-dressed and
gentlemanlike persons, stepped forward and stated that the vessel was
from St Mary's, bound to Lima, with a cargo of flour and passengers;
that the crew and captain consisted of twenty-five men, and all the
rest who were on board, had taken that opportunity of going to Lima. That they themselves were among the passengers, and trusted that the
vessel and cargo would be immediately released, as the two nations
were not at war. "Not at war at home, I grant," replied Philip, "but in these seas, the
constant aggressions of your armed ships compel me to retaliate, and
I shall therefore make a prize of your vessel and cargo. At the same
time, as I have no wish to molest private individuals, I will land all
the passengers and crew at St Mary's, to which place I am bound in
order to obtain refreshments, which now I shall expect will be given
cheerfully as your ransom, so as to relieve me from resorting to
force." The prisoners protested strongly against this, but without
avail. They then requested leave to ransom the vessel and cargo,
offering a larger sum than they both appeared to be worth; but Philip,
being short of provisions, refused to part with the cargo, and the
Spaniards appeared much disappointed at the unsuccessful issue of
their request. Finding that nothing would induce him to part with the
provisions, they then begged hard to ransom the vessel; and to this,
after a consultation with Krantz, Philip gave his assent. The two
vessels then made sail, and steered on for the island, then about four
leagues distant. Although Philip had not wished to retain the vessel,
yet, as they stood in together, her superior speed became so manifest
that he almost repented that he had agreed to ransom her. At noon, the _Dort_ was anchored in the roads, out of gunshot, and a
portion of the passengers allowed to go on shore and make arrangements
for the ransom of the remainder, while the prize was hauled alongside,
and her cargo hoisted into the ship. Towards evening, three large
boats with live stock and vegetables and the sum agreed upon for the
ransom of the xebeque, came alongside; and as soon as one of the boats
was cleared, the prisoners were permitted to go on shore in it, with
the exception of the Spanish pilot, who, at the suggestion of Krantz,
was retained, with a promise of being released directly the _Dort_ was
clear of the Spanish seas. A negro slave was also, at his own
request, allowed to remain on board, much to the annoyance of the two
passengers before mentioned, who claimed the man as their property,
and insisted that it was an infraction of the agreement which had been
entered into. "You prove my right by your own words," replied Philip;
"I agreed to deliver up all the passengers, but no _property_; the
slave will remain on board."