Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/433

CH. XXX. by pirates, but said that, with the addition of my party, we might possibly be able to encounter them with success; making, at the same time, a display of their ammunition, which consisted of two small cannons, three muskets, one horse pistol, and three swords.

The English vessels were a little better armed, but as I did not speculate altogether on the advantages they afforded of this redoubtable description, and as the Maria sailed the next day, I had no choice but to fix upon the Margaret, this being the only vessel now remaining. She had been built in the United States for the Colombian government, burden 280 tons; she carried four twelve pounders, was a remarkably fine strong vessel, but as she had been lying some months at Belize, the bottom of her was covered with barnacles, which would impede her sailing; she had also the misfortune, whilst detained in harbour, to lose two captains; one of whom died of the fever, in the house of my landlady, and the other was lost upon a reef, a