" Run up your jib and fore topmast staysail." And now she was clear! Before the boat had left the frigate, we had hove short, and hoisted our top-sail yards without loosing the sails, or making the least noise. The wind was right aft for us, but on the starboard quarter for the prize. We were soon up witli her, and both ships were ahead of the Lotaro, who had cracked on every thing she could wear. But it was of no use now for Capt. Guise to think of a re-capture. We beat to quarters, and were all ready for him in case he should fire; but he very prudently did not We kept close to our prize, and both, making all sail, soon dropped the Lotaro, who tacked and went back.
Both ships now hove to, shifted our men, and put the prize officer, and his twelve soldiers on board his boat, gave them two bottles of brandy, a keg of water, some bread, and salt fish, and sent them on their way rejoicing. They reached the shore in safety, as we shall afterwards see. Thus ended this well planned and successful scheme, and the brilliancy of the achievement is equal, if not superior, to the cutting out of the Esmaralda. In the former case, there was not a single life lost, and here was a prize taken from under the guns of a fifty gun ship, who might easily, had they known enough, have manned four or live boats, and boarded her, when of course there would have been a fight, which would have caused a detention, and in all probability, her re-capture.
We separated, and proceeded down the coast and our quondam consort stood over to the Marquesas. While we were at Guamas, a captain of a whale ship told Capt. Downes, that there was an American ship in some difficulty at a small port about thirty leagues north of Callao. Wo followed the coast down, and entered what was supposed by description, to be the place alluded to. We found plenty of water, and sufficient room to work ship. At the entrance, there was what appeared to be a fort, and when abreast of it we were saluted with a shot from a nine pounder! which came whistling over us. No notice was taken of it, as it was not repeated.
We could count, I think eight men in the fort, and but one mounted gun. We ran up just far enough to ascertain that there was no ship there; then tacked and stood out again. We could easily see that our entering the harbor, had caused much consternation and alarm among the inhabitants. It was a pretty little town with a fine large church standing on an eminence. We had a negro onboard, who had run away from the Lotaro, and had got on board our ship at Guamas. He had formerly belonged to Cochrane's ship. He told us "that about three months before, Cochrane had taken a cruise down the coast, with his ship only, and that they had landed and plundered many small places along the coast, and had taken many valuable things from the churches, which he invariably robbed wherever he went.
He said that at this place he went in, let go his anchor, sent three armed boats with sixty men, took the fort, which, however, was a very easy matter, for on the approach of the boats the soldiers ran away. They landed at a short distance from the fort, entered it and capsized the guns overboard. They then proceeded to the town. The terrified inhabitants were seen fleeing in all directions; the sight of the frigate had so alarmed them that they made no resistance. The marauding party proceeded first to the church and took away a great amount of silver, among which was a number of massive silver candlesticks. They knocked the valuable eyes out of the Virgin Mary, and stole the golden crown from her head, and the rich slippers from her feet, which were studded with precious stones, and in order to get the jeweled rings from her fingers, these sacrilegious scamps actually broke the hands off at the wrists, but showing no further indignities, left this so-called queen of Heaven, without hands or eyes, crown less and barefooted.
They then proceeded to the stores and dwelling-houses, and as an expeditious method of opening chests and boxes, they applied a loaded pistol to the keyhole, which did away with the necessity of a key, taking however only valuable articles and money. Before they had got quite through with their plunder, they were attacked by the inhabitants and what soldiers could be mustered, and a severe fight ensued, but they all reached their boats with the exception of ten, who had laid siege to a grog shop, and were wholly unable to fight. These were marched off' to prison, and came very near being killed by the infuriated populace. Many of those who made their escape to the boats were severely wounded, besides the boat-keepers who had been attacked by the soldiers for the purpose of getting back their stolen property.