However, the officer who commanded the barge having opened several of the
jars on board to satisfy his curiosity, and finding nothing in them but
cotton, he was inclined to believe the account the prisoners gave him;
but the cargo being taken into the Gloucester, and there examined more
strictly, they were agreeably surprised to find that the whole was a very
extraordinary piece of false package, and that there was concealed
amongst the cotton, in every jar, a considerable quantity of double
doubloons and dollars to the amount, in the whole, of near 12,000 pounds.
This treasure was going to Paita, and belonged to the same merchants who
were the proprietors of the greatest part of the money we had taken
there; so that, had this boat escaped the Gloucester, it is probable her
cargo would have fallen into our hands. Besides these two prizes which we
have mentioned, the Gloucester's people told us that they had been in
sight of two or three other ships of the enemy, which had escaped them;
and one of them, we had reason to believe from some of our intelligence,
was of an immense value.
Being now joined by the Gloucester and her prize, it was resolved that we
should stand to the northwards, and get as soon as possible to the
southern parts of California, or to the adjacent coast of Mexico, there
to cruise for the Manila galleon, which we knew was now at sea, bound to
the port of Acapulco. And we doubted not to get on that station time
enough to intercept her, for this ship does not usually arrive at
Acapulco till towards the middle of January, and we were now but in the
middle of November, and did not conceive that our passage thither would
cost us above a month or five weeks; so that we imagined we had near
twice as much time as was necessary for our purpose.
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