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 like to gain neither honour nor advantage by the affair, pretended to be undeceived by seeing their colours.

Our fleet having joined another that waited for us, we lay at anchor about a month in the harbour of Port Royal in Jamaica, from thence we sailed as far as the Isle of Vache, from there to the windward of Carthagena, where we came to an anchor, and lay at our ease ten days longer. We weighed and anchored again somewhat nearer the harbour's mouth, where we made shift to land our marines, who encamped on the beach in despite of the enemy's shot, which knocked a good many of them on the head.

Our forces being landed and stationed we set about erecting a battery to cannon the enemy, and in something more than three weeks it was ready to open. It was determined in a council of war that five of our largest ships should attack the fort on one side, while the battery plyed it on the other.

Our ship, with the others destined for this service, immediately weighed, and in less than half an hour, came to an anchor before the castle of Bocca Chica, with a spring upon our cable. The cannonading (which indeed was terrible) began. The surgeon fell flat on the deck; the chaplain and purser, who were stationed with us in quality of assistants followed his example while the mate and I sat upon a chest, looking at one another with great Rh