But to our extreme vexation, both this day and the
succeeding night passed over without any news of the galleon. However, we
did not yet despair, but were all heartily disposed to flatter ourselves
that some unforeseen accident had intervened which might have put off her
departure for a few days; and suggestions of this kind occurred in
plenty, as we knew that the time fixed by the Viceroy for her sailing was
often prolonged on the petition of the merchants of Mexico. Thus we kept
up our hopes, and did not abate of our vigilance; and as the 7th of March
was Sunday, the beginning of Passion Week, which is observed by the
Papists with great strictness and a total cessation from all kinds of
labour, so that no ship is permitted to stir out of port during the whole
week, this quieted our apprehensions for some days, and disposed us not
to expect the galleon till the week following. On the Friday in this week
our cutters returned to us, and the officers on board them were very
confident that the galleon was still in port, for that she could not
possibly have come out but they must have seen her. On the Monday morning
succeeding Passion Week--that is, on the 15th of March--the cutters were
again despatched to their old station, and our hopes were once more
indulged in as sanguine prepossessions as before; but in a week's time
our eagerness was greatly abated, and a general dejection and despondency
took place in its room. For we were persuaded that the enemy had by some
accident discovered our being upon the coast, and had therefore laid an
embargo on the galleon till the next year.
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