As the
barbarity of the buccaneers, and the artful use the ecclesiastics had
made of it, had filled the natives of those countries with the most
terrible ideas of the English cruelty, we always found our prisoners at
their first coming on board us, to be extremely dejected and under great
horror and anxiety. In particular, this youth whom I last mentioned,
having never been from home before, lamented his captivity in the most
moving manner, regretting in very plaintive terms his parents, his
brothers, his sisters, and his native country, of all which he was fully
persuaded he had taken his last farewell, believing that he was now
devoted for the remaining part of his life to an abject and cruel
servitude; nore was he singular in his fears, for his companions on
board, and indeed all the Spaniards that came into our power, had the
same desponding opinion of their situation. Mr. Anson constantly exerted
his utmost endeavours to efface these in human impressions they had
received of us, always taking care that as many of the principal people
among them as there was room for should dine at his table by turns, and
giving the strictest orders, too, that they should at all times and in
every circumstance be treated with the utmost decency and humanity. But,
notwithstanding this precaution, it was generally observed that for the
first day or two they did not quit their fears, but suspected the
gentleness of their usage to be only preparatory to some unthought-of
calamity.
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