A PRESENT INTENDED FOR THE GOVERNOR. 521 shore, but the money; but, if I had brought anything on shore for my own use, he would not be so strict as to inquire into that, so I might do what I pleased myself. Upon that I went into the place, shut myself in, and having opened all the things, placed them to my mind. There was five little parcels, as follows: 1, 2. A piece of twenty yards fine English broad-cloth; five yards of black, five yards of crimson, in one parcel, and the rest of fine mixtures in another parcel. 3. A piece of thirty ells of fine Holland linen. 4. A piece of eighteen yards of fine English brocaded silk. 5. A piece of black Colchester bays. After I had placed these by themselves, I found means, with some seeming difficulties, and much grimace, to bring him to know that this was intended for a present to himself. After all that part was over, and he had seemed to accept them, he signified, after walking a hundred turns and more in the room by them, by throwing his hat, which was under his arm, upon them, and making a very stiff bow; I say, after this, he seemed to take his leave of me for awhile, and I waited in an outer room; when I was called in again, I found that he had looked over all the particulars, and caused them to be removed out of the place. But when I came again, I found him quite another man; he thanked me for my present; told me, it was a present fit to be given to a viceroy of Mexico, rather than to a mere governor of a fort; that he had done me no services suitable to such a return, but that he would see if he could not oblige me farther before I left the place. After our compliments were over, I obtained leave to have the corregidore sent for, who accordingly came, and in his presence the money, stipulated for the ransom of the ship, and of the men, was paid. But here the corregidore showed that he would be as severely just on my side as on theirs, for he would not admit the money as a ransom for us as prisoners, but as a deposit for so much as we were to be ransomed for, if the sentence of our being made prisoners should be confirmed. And then the governor and corregidore joining together sent a representation of the whole affair, at least we were told so, to the viceroy of Mexico; and it was privately hinted to me, that I would do well to stay for the return of the aviso, that is, a boat which they send over the bay to Vera Cruz, with an express to Mexico, whose return is generally performed in two months. I was not unwilling to stay, having secret hints given me, that I should find some way to go with my sloop towards Vera Cruz myself, where I might have an occasion to trade privately for the cargo which I had on board; but it came about a nearer way; for about two days after this money being deposited, as above, the governor's son invited himself on board my sloop, where I told him I would be very glad to see him, and whither, at the same time, he brought with him three considerable merchants, Spaniards, two of them not inhabitants of the place. When they were on board they were very merry and pleasant, and I treated them so much to their satisfaction, that, in short, they were not well able to go on shore for that night, but were content to take a nap on some carpets, which I caused to be spread for them; and that the governor's son might think himself well used, I brought him a very good silk nightgown, with a crimson velvet cap to lie down in, and in the morning desired him to accept of them for his use, which he took very kindly. During that merry evening, one of the merchants, not so touched with drink as the young gentleman, nor so as not to mind what it was he came about, takes an occasion to withdraw out of the great cabin, and enter into a parley with the master of the sloop, in order to trade for what European goods we had on board. The master took the hint, and gave me notice of what had passed, and I gave him instructions what to say, and what to do; according to which instructions, they made but few words, bought the goods for about five thousand pieces of eight, and carried them away themselves, and at their own hazards. This was very agreeable to me, for now I began to see I should lick myself whole, by the sale of this cargo, and should make myself full amends of Jack Spaniard, for all the injuries he had done me in the first of these things; with this view I gave my master or captain of the sloop instructions for sale of all the rest of the goods, and left him to manage by himself, which he did so well, that he sold the whole cargo the next SELL MY CARGO TO SPANIARDS. 523 day to the three Spaniards, with this additional circumstance, that they desired the sloop might carry the goods, as they were on board, to such part of the terra firma as they should appoint, between the Honduras and the coast of La Vera Cruz. It was difficult for me to make good this part of the bargain; but, finding the price agreed for would very well answer the voyage, I consented; but then how to send the sloop away, and remain among the Spaniards, when I was now a clear man, this was a difficulty too, as it was also to go away, and not wait for a favourable answer from the viceroy of Mexico to the representation of the governor and the corregidore; however, at last, I resolved to go in the sloop, fall out what would, so I went to the governor, and represented to him, that, being now to expect a favourable answer from Mexico, it would be a great loss to me to keep the sloop there all the while, and I desired his leave for me to go with the sloop to Antigua, to sell and dispose of the cargo, which he well knew I was obliged not to bring on shore there at the Havannah, and which would be in danger of being spoiled by lying so long on board. This I obtained readily, with license to come again into the road, and, for myself only, to come on shore, in order to hear the viceroy's pleasure in my case, which was depending. CHAPTER XIX. ON A I MAKE A VERY PROFITABLE VOYAGE EMBARK HAVING thus obtained a license or passport for the sloop and myself, I put to sea with the three Spanish merchants on board with me. They told me they did not live at the Havannah, but it seems one of them did; and some rich merchants of the Havannah, or of the parts thereabouts in the same island, were concerned with them; for they brought on board, the night we put to sea, a great sum of money in pieces of eight; and, as I understood afterwards, that these merchants bought the cargo of me, and, though they gave me a very great price for everything, yet that they sold them again to the merchants, who they procured on the coast of La Vera Cruz, at a prodigious advantage; so that they got above a hundred per cent. after I had gained very sufficiently before. We sailed from the Havannah directly for Vera Cruz. I scrupled venturing into the port at first, and was very uneasy, lest I should have another Spanish trick put upon me; but as we sailed under Spanish colours, they showed us such authentic papers from the proper officers, that there was no room to fear anything. However, when we came in sight of the Spanish coast, I found they had a secret clandestine trade to carry on, which, though it was secret, yet they knew the way of it so well, that it was but a mere road to them. The case was this, we stood in close under the shore in the night, about six leagues to the north of the port, where two of the three merchants went on shore in the boat, and in three hours or thereabouts they came on board again with five canoes, and seven or eight merchants more with them, and as soon as they were on board, we stood off to sea, so that by daylight we were quite out of sight of land. I ought to have mentioned before, that as soon as we were put to sea from the Havannah, and during our voyage into the Gulf of Mexico, which was eight days, we rummaged the whole cargo, and opening every bale, as far as the Spanish merchants desired, we trafficked with them for the whole cargo, except the barrels of flour and pease. This cargo was considerable in itself, for my wife's account, or invoice, drawn out by my tutor and manager, amounted to 26847. 10s., and I sold the whole, including what had been sold in the evening, when they were on board first, as I have said, for thirty-eight thousand five hundred and ninety-three pieces of eight, and they allowed me twelve hundred pieces of eight for the freight of the sloop, and made my master and the seamen very handsome presents besides, and they were well able to do this too, as you shall hear presently. After we were gotten out of sight of land, the Spaniards fell to their traffic, and our three merchants opened their shop, as they might say, for it was their shop; as to me, I A VERY PROFITABLE VOYAGE. 525 had nothing to do with it, or with their goods; they drove their bargain in a few hours, and at night we stood in again for the shore, when the five canoes carried a great part of the goods on shore, and brought the money back in specie, as well for that they carried as for all the rest, and at their second voyage, carried all away clear, leaving me nothing on board but my barrels of flour and pease, which they bade me money for too, but not so much as I expected. Here I found that my Spanish merchants made above seventy thousand pieces of eight of the cargo I had sold them, upon which, I had a great mind to be acquainted with those merchants on the terra firma, who were the last customers; for it presently occurred to me, that I could easily go with a sloop from Virginia, and taking a cargo directed on purpose from England, of about 5000l. or 60007., I might easily make four of one; with this view I began to make a kind of an acquaintance with the Spaniards which came in the canoes, and we became so intimate, that at last, with the consent of the three Spaniards of the Havannah, I accepted an invitation on shore to their house, which was a little villa, or rather plantation, where they had an ingenio, that is to say, a sugarhouse, or sugar-work, and there they treated us like princes. I took occasion at this invitation to say, that, if I knew how to find my way thither again, I could visit them once or twice a-year, very much to their advantage and mine too. One of the Spaniards took the hint, and taking me into a room by myself, Signior, says he, if you have any thoughts of coming to this place again, I shall give you such directions as you shall be sure not to mistake; and, upon either coming on shore in the night, and coming up to this place, or, upon making the signals which we shall give you, we will not fail to come off to you, and bring money enough for any cargaison, so they call it, that you shall bring. I took all their directions, took their paroles of honour for my safety, and, without taking any notice to my first three merchants, laid up the rest in my most secret thoughts, resolving to visit them again in as short a time as I could; and thus having, in about five days, finished all our merchandizing, we stood off to sea, and made for the island of Cuba, where I set my three Spaniards on shore with all their treasure, to their heart's content, and made the best of my way to Antigua, where, with all the despatch I could, I sold my |