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As to the awning, which he set up page 51. and which he intends as a justification of his coming in here, it proved rather a nusance than a benefit; for as the place afforded not the proper materials, he could not make it staunch and tight, so that the rain, as it fell from the clouds, was not half so troublesom, as the streams it made through this imperfect piece of work, into the poor men’s necks: besides, it very much hinder’d our walking the deck. Captain Clipperton had twice made the voyage before, and therefore was something of a judge; and he, as well as the gentlemen at home, thought the Speedwel completely enough fitted out without any additions of captain Shelvocke’s.

It’s merry enough to observe how Shelvocke p. 25. makes Mons. La Jonquiere, who was a gentleman of good sense, commander of a fifty gun ship in the King of Spain’s service, and in time of war with England, hold forth to the supposed mutinous crew of an English privatier, then going to take, sink, burn and destroy as many of the ships belonging to the subjects of the king his master, as should have the misfortune of falling into their clutches; and to this effect, that they should behave themselves dutifully and obediently towards their honest commander, who was leading them to make their fortunes. The absurdity of this is plain enough, when I consider there were not above four or five in our ship at most, who understood any thing of French: and I am sure La Jonquiere did not speak a word of English: besides, he had something else to mind; all this being only a drunken frolick, occasion’d by the Frenchman’s coming aboard us to make merry.