Читать книгу The Life of Sir Henry Morgan. With an account of the English settlement of the island of Jamaica онлайн

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Several weeks later the three chief leaders in this daring series of raids, Captains Jackman, Henry Morgan, and John Morris, returned from a prolonged cruise which they had undertaken soon after the capture of San Francisco de Campeche, in which they had taken part. They were closely questioned by the governor, who caused their statements to be put into the form of a narrative and sent to his patron, the Duke of Albemarle.

"Having been out 22 months," they said, "and hearing nothing of the cessation of hostilities between the King and the Spaniards, they sailed in January last, according to the commission from Lord Windsor to prey upon that nation, up the River Tabasco in the Bay of Mexico, and guided by Indians, marched with 107 men, 300 miles to avoid discovery to Villdemos [Villa de Mosa] which they took and plundered, capturing 300 prisoners, but on returning to the mouth of the river they found that their ships had been taken by the Spaniards, who soon attacked them with ships and 300 men. They gave a short account of this fight, in which the Spaniards were beaten off without the loss of a man. They then fitted out two barques and four canoes, took Rio Carta with 30 men and stormed a breastwork there, killing 15 and taking the rest prisoners, crossed the Bay of Honduras, watering at the Isle of Rattan [Roatan], took the town of Truxillo and a vessel in the road, and came to the Mosquitos, where the Indians are hostile to the Spaniards, and nine of them willingly came with them. They then anchored in Monkey Bay near the Nicaragua river, up which they went in canoes, passing three falls, for a distance of 37 leagues, where began the entrance to a fair laguna or lake, which they judged to be in size 50 leagues by 30, of sweet water, full of excellent fish, with its banks full of brave pastures and savannahs, covered with horses and cattle, where they had as good beef and mutton as any in England. Hiding by day under keys and islands and rowing all night, by the advice of their Indian guides, they landed near the city of Gran Granada, marched undiscried into the centre of the city, fired a volley, overturned 18 great guns in the Parada Place, took the serjeant-major's house, wherein were all their arms and ammunition, secured in the Great Church 300 of the best men prisoners, abundance of which were churchmen, plundered for 16 hours, discharged the prisoners, sunk all the boats and so came away. This town is bigger than Portsmouth with seven churches and a very fair cathedral, besides divers colleges and monasteries, all built of free stone, as also are most of their houses. They have six companies of horse and foot besides Indians and slaves in abundance. Above 1,000 of these Indians joined the privateers in plundering, and would have killed the prisoners, especially the churchmen, imagining the English would keep the place, but finding they would return home, requested them to come again, and in the meantime have secured themselves in the mountains. A few of them came away and are now in Martin's vessel, who, being a Dutchman and fearing his entertainment at Jamaica, has put into Tortugas. At the end of the large lagoon they took a vessel of 100 tons and an island as large as Barbados, called Lida, which they plundered. The air here is very cool and wholesome, producing, as the inhabitants told them, all sorts of European grains, herbs, and fruits in great plenty; that five leagues from the head of the lagoon is a port town on the South Seas, called Realleyo, [Realejo] where the King of Spain has ships built for trading between Panama and Peru, and that there is a better passage to the lake by Bluefields River to the northeast, and another to the southeast through Costa Rica, almost to Porto Bello, a country inhabited by creolians, mulattos, and Indians, whom the Spaniards dare not trust with arms. The Indians are driven to rebellion by cruelty and there is no reconciling them. They told them also of a city called Segovia, where there are many sheep with excellent fine wool. By comparing this relation with maps and histories it appears that this country is in the middle of the Spanish dominions in America, dividing Peru from Mexico, both being very convenient to infest by sea, but being environed by inaccessible hills, rocks, and mountains, very difficult, if not impossible, to be attacked by land. The wealth of the place is such that the first plunder will pay for the venture, being well supplied with commodities and food and free from vermin; the assistance of the Indians and negro slaves, if well handled, will be very considerable; the creolians will not be long obstinate, when they feel the freedom and ease of his Majesty's government; 2,000 men, some say 500, may easily conquer all this quarter, the Spaniards in their large dominions being so far asunder, they are the easier subdued. This place can be reached by eight or ten days' sail; the proper time to attempt it is between March and August, the rest being rainy months when the rivers are high and the strength of their streams not to be stemmed. I have represented this matter to your Grace," Modyford commented, "being convinced that if ever the reasons of State at home require any attempt on the Spanish Indies, this is the properest place and the most probable to lay a foundation for the conquest of the whole."[99]