TreasureIsland

The Untold Story

18’19”N64’ 37” W

John Amrhein, Jr.

398

Treasure Island

�

Early Rev�ews ofTreasure Island: The Untold Story

“John Amrhe�n’s Treasure Island: The Untold Story �s a superlat�ve example of h�stor�cal fact be�ng well balanced through the use of fict�onal narrat�ve �n order to create a d�alogue an�mat�ng the truth beh�nd Robert Lou�s Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Above and beyond the �ntens�ve research that Amrhe�n conducted to develop the ent�re story, as well as h�s uncanny ab�l�ty to connect events and people through t�me, th�s work �s also a genu�ne contr�but�on to the scholarly field of knowledge about mar�t�me h�story dur�ng the 18th century. Ult�mately, Amhre�n’s work serves as a compend�um of h�stor�cal fact and events surround�ng a story that has captured the �mag�nat�ons of both young and old for nearly a century and a half.”

—James Perry, Arch�v�st & H�stor�an, Monterey County H�stor�cal Soc�ety

“Tales about Ocracoke Island, Hyde Co., North Carol�na have always been of �nterest to us. Th�s one �s fasc�nat�ng. Not only does th�s story br�ng Treasure Island al�ve �n an exc�t�ng new way but documents Ocracoke’s contr�but�on to one of the greatest adventure stor�es of all t�me. It �s a pr�v�lege and a pleasure to recommend th�s �ntr�gu�ng book.”

—Isabelle Homes, Pres�dent, Hyde County H�stor�cal & Genealogy Soc�ety

“Anyone �nterested �n p�racy and Stevenson’s Treasure Island w�ll enjoy �t and find new mater�al and a fresh perspect�ve.”

—Dr. Patr�ck Scott, D�rector, Irv�n Department of Rare Books & Spec�al Collect�ons (�ncludes the Robert Lou�s Stevenson Collect�on) and D�st�ngu�shed Professor of Engl�sh, Emer�tus, Un�vers�ty of South Carol�na

“The story would have been known to Stevenson’s ancestors who l�ved �n St. K�tts. The narrat�ves that would have entered fam�ly oral trad�t�on may have �nsp�red a great deal of the fict�on that Stevenson created �n Treasure Island. Treasure Island: the Untold Story �s another page �n the �sland’s mostly unknown h�story.”

—V�ctor�a O’Flaherty, D�rector, The Nat�onal Arch�ves of St. K�tts

��

Treasure Island

“Treasure Island: The Untold Story �s a well wr�tten, thoroughly researched, unb�ased tale of �ntr�gue, treachery, pass�on, love, and real-l�fe dec�s�ons. The h�story �s well presented and the accompany�ng photographs, documents, and pr�nts let the reader go back to the past and rel�ve th�s great sea adventure. I can truly say that th�s the best book I have ever read about p�rates! Read �t and you w�ll rel�ve �t!”

—Charles George, Wreck Diving Magazine

“What an adventure! The author’s thorough research and met�culous attent�on to deta�l �s sk�llfully woven w�th human�z�ng sn�ppets of �nformat�on that br�ng h�s h�stor�cal characters to l�fe. The reader, w�th any �nterest �n harsh mar�t�me l�fe on the h�gh seas on the Car�bbean and Atlant�c seaboards �n the m�d 18th century, gets a tantal�z�ng gl�mpse �nto how challeng�ng �t must have been. The real joy to any St. Chr�stoph�le �s, of course, the fasc�nat�ng “beh�nd the scenes” tour of the mak�ng of Robert Lou�s Stevenson’s Treasure Island. The l�nks to the Ca�nes Plantat�on, D�eppe Bay, and downtown Basseterre all br�ng Mr. Stevenson’s story to l�fe �n a way not �mag�ned by the author but much apprec�ated by anyone w�th an �nterest �n the h�story of the �sland.”

— Da�sy Mottram, Honorary Secretary, St. Chr�stopher (St. K�tts) Nat�onal Trust

���

�v

Treasure Island

v

By John Amhre�n, Jr.

New Mar�t�ma Press, LLC

v�

Treasure Island

Copyr�ght 2012 by John Amhre�n. No port�on of th�s book may be reproduced �n any form whatsoever w�thout wr�tten perm�ss�on from the publ�sher.

LCCN 2010915642 ISBN-10 0983084319

ISBN-13 9780983084310

New Mar�t�ma Press, LLCP.O. Box 1918K�tty Hawk, North Carol�na 27949www.newmar�t�mapress.com

v��

Table of Contents

L�st of Illustrat�ons Part One v���

Acknowledgements x�

The P�ece of E�ght x���

Introduct�on xv

Part One: Treasure Island

Chapter One: Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer 1

Chapter Two: P�eces of E�ght 11

Chapter Three: Ocracoke: P�rate’s La�r 27

Chapter Four: Blackbeard’s Last Pr�ze 35

Chapter F�ve: The Voyage 61

Chapter S�x: Treasure Island 67

Chapter Seven: The Unfortunate Span�ard 93

Chapter E�ght: The Empty Gallows 105

Chapter N�ne: The Governors’ Greed 111

Chapter Ten: S�lver and the Embass�es 139

Part Two: Return to Treasure Island

Chapter Eleven: Return to Treasure Island 167

Chapter Twelve: Stevenson’s Last Book 205

Chapter Th�rteen: The Hunt for Lloyd 233

Ep�logue: And Last 310

B�bl�ography 312

End Notes 323

v���

Treasure Island

L�st of Illustrat�onsPart One

Cred�ts for Images, Chapters One through Ten

Chapter One: Adapted from A map of the most inhabited part of Virginia containing the whole province of Maryland with part of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. Drawn by Joshua Fry & Peter Jefferson in 1751. Courtesy of the L�brary of Congress.

Chapter Two: Plan of Vera Cruz, London Magazine, July 1762.

Chapter Three: LEFT: A New and Accurate Map of the Province of North and South Carolina, Georgia, etc, Emanuel Bowen, 1747, courtesy of the North Carol�na State Arch�ves, Rale�gh. RIGHT: A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina by Edward Moseley, late surveyor general of the said province 1733, Moseley Map (#MC0017), w�th perm�ss�on the Spec�al Collect�ons Department, J. Y. Joyner L�brary, East Carol�na Un�vers�ty, Greenv�lle, North Carol�na, USA.

Chapter Four: Capture of the P�rate, Blackbeard, 1718 dep�ct�ng the battle between Blackbeard the P�rate and L�eutenant Maynard �n Ocracoke Bay. Jean Leon Gerome Ferr�s, 1920.

Chapter Five: Frank R. Stockton, Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts. The MacM�llan Company, Ltd., London, 1919.

Chapter Six: Adapted from Thomas Jefferys’, West India Atlas of 1775, courtesy of the L�brary of Congress.

Chapter Seven: Wreck of the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (alias La Ninfa) a Pr�ze to the Royal Fam�ly Pr�vateers taken 5 February 1746 and Lost �n November follow�ng near Beach Head on the Coast of Sussex engraved by John Boydell, 1753. W�th perm�ss�on and copyr�ght, Greenw�ch Mar�t�me Museum.

�x

Chapter Eight: V�ew of St. Eustat�us courtesy of the Nat�onaal Arch�ef, The Netherlands. Invr. 310.

Chapter Nine: V�ew of Basseterre, St. K�tts from Thomas Coke, History of the West Indies…, Volume III.

Chapter Ten: Lond�num [s�c] - Urbs Praec�pua Regn� Angl�ae: 18th century, Anonymous. W�th perm�ss�on and copyr�ght, the Museum of London.

x

Treasure Island

For Delph�ne.

The World owes you for this one.

x�

Acknowledgements

There are many who have contr�buted along the way to make th�s an unforgettable story. W�thout my w�fe Delph�ne, th�s would not have been poss�ble w�th her �ntu�t�on, cr�t�cal commentary, and her love and

support. My ch�ldren, Shane and Madel�ne, added an �mportant d�mens�on, and my daughter-�n-law, L�v Cook, made an �mportant contr�but�on. My researchers worked d�l�gently to br�ng th�s �nternat�onal event to pr�nt. Thanks aga�n to V�ctor�a Stapells who has been w�th me for th�rty years �n scour�ng the arch�ves of Spa�n as well as her ass�stants, Genoveva Enr�quez Mac�as, Esther Gonzáles Pérez, and Guadalupe Fernández Morente. In England, T�m Hughes, S�mon N�z�ol, Peter Galagher, and D�anne Strang probed the arch�ves and l�brar�es of London. Magg� Blyth�n, Lona Jones and G�ll W�nstanley searched the arch�ves and l�brar�es of Wales wh�le Bronwyn Curnow at the Powys County Reg�strar and Cather�ne R�chards of the Powys County Arch�ves made the�r own contr�but�ons. Alan McLeod followed Stevenson’s tra�l �n Scotland and Laurence Harvey prov�ded photographs. V�ctor�a O’Flaherty opened frag�le documents for me at the arch�ves of St. K�tts and was always ava�lable to answer my quest�ons. L�ndon W�ll�ams formerly of the St. Chr�stopher’s Her�tage Soc�ety prov�ded research ass�stance and Carla Astaphan prov�ded p�ctures of Shadwell. Also, thanks to Yvette Ca�nes who shared her fam�ly h�story. Dr. Mar�on Bla�r of the Ant�gua and Barbuda Nat�onal Arch�ves read�ly answered my quest�ons. In Denmark, Peter Ph�ster made some truly remarkable finds and Dr. B�rg�t Chr�stensen suppl�ed the end game w�th valuable translat�ons and more document finds. Er�k Gøbel of the Dan�sh Nat�onal Arch�ves prov�ded gu�dance and Henr�ette Gavnholdt Jakobsen, arch�v�st at the Dan�sh Mar�t�me Museum, suppl�ed the e�ghteenth century engrav�ng of St. Cro�x. Spencer and Jean�e Ol�ver also helped w�th some translat�ons. N�cole Brandt and V�ctor van den Bergh of the Nat�onal Arch�ves of the Netherlands made some

x��

Treasure Island

extremely valuable and unexpected finds wh�le Anne Lee of europeantranslat�on.net translated, not only the Dutch documents, but French as well. John Flora handled Cal�forn�a and the Stevenson connect�on there. “Joyce Cox �nvest�gated the Nevada connect�on.” Carol Car�ne travelled the w�ndy roads at the Isle of Man. To Pam Coronado, my psych�c �nvest�gator, who never ceases to amaze me. Others who volunteered: The Joyner L�brary East Carol�na Un�vers�ty, Adr�enne Bell, Ether�ngton Conservat�on Serv�ces, The Museum of London, the Greenw�ch Mar�t�me Museum, Verna Penn Moll answered my quest�ons about the records �n Tortola, Cather�ne and Donald Mahew, Add�son R�chardson and Don M�tchell of Angu�lla, and Gray Curt�s of the Sc�tuate H�stor�cal Soc�ety. Ken and Beth Wynne helped me w�th the genealog�cal collect�ons of the Mormon Church. Spec�al thanks to Capta�n Dave DeCu�r of Antiquity who took me and my fam�ly on many great adventures at Treasure Island. To my ed�tors, I owe a great deal: Conn�e Buchanan, Ann Busk�rk, Buddy Hullet, Pam Banks, and Mar�lyn Wyscarver. To Robert Pruett and h�s great staff at Brandylane Publ�shers. Thanks to Andrea Wh�te of sykesv�lledes�gn.com for the webs�te. To J�m Breashears who made some good suggest�ons and for h�s enthus�asm for the story. There would have been no treasure bur�ed at Treasure Island w�thout the m�raculous �ntervent�on of Father Junípero Serra and St. Barbara who saved the galleon. And most �mportantly, to the One who wrote th�s story as I am only the messenger.

For the many sources used �n th�s book, please consult the Notes and B�bl�ography at the end.

x���

arried in galleons from the New World to Spain, the Spanish piece of eight was a coin recognized throughout the world in the Colonial Period for its beauty and consistency in silver content. The early versions of the coin were

made by cutting pieces off of a flattened bar of silver, weighed, then stamped with the coat of arms of the ruling Spanish monarch. These coins were called cobs, derived from “cut of the bar.” The big drawback of this type of coinage was that because of their irregular shape, people would cut or chisel off pieces of the coin and still attempt to pass them off at full value. The term “chiseler” is still used today to describe a cheater or a swindler. Merchants and many individuals had their own money scales during this period to protect themselves from chiseled or counterfeit coins. In 1732, the problem was solved by manufacturing or milling coins with machinery, producing uniform coins similar in quality to those of today. The coins were perfectly round and had a patterned edge. One side of the coin featured the Spanish Coat of Arms, on the other twin globes flanked by the Pillars of Hercules along with the year of minting. The coins also came to be known as “Pillar Dollars.” The peso, piastre, or the piece of eight, would become the model for the American dollar. The term “bits” replaced “reales.” Two bits would become the quarter, and four bits a fifty cent piece.

x�v

Treasure Island

xv

Introduct�on

t happened �n 1750. It was the year that Western c�v�l�zat�on started �ts recovery from a confl�ct, commonly known as K�ng George’s War, between the great powers of England and Spa�n that had lasted n�ne

years and left many �n phys�cal, psycholog�cal or financ�al ru�n. It was also �n th�s year that a wealthy Span�sh capta�n named Juan Manuel Bon�lla and two Engl�shmen, Owen Lloyd and h�s one-legged brother, John, would chance to meet at sea. These former enem�es were d�verted from the�r respect�ve courses by a fearful West Ind�an hurr�cane. A huge treasure would soon change hands—�nvoluntar�ly.

The �ncred�ble cha�n of events that began to unfold �n the aftermath of th�s fateful encounter would lead to the bur�al of Span�sh treasure on an un�nhab�ted Car�bbean �sland, and the electr�fy�ng aftermath would be remembered for many years to come. The most famous treasure map �n the world, dated August 1750, would become the �nsp�rat�on for a tale that would enterta�n m�ll�ons of youngsters and adults al�ke for the next century. The map would also propel a struggl�ng unknown wr�ter to the l�mel�ght, mak�ng h�s name one of the most recogn�zed �n l�terary h�story: Robert Lou�s Stevenson.

xv�

Treasure Island

xv��

Part One

Treasure Island

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads to fortune.

— W�ll�am Shakespeare

xv���

Treasure Island

1

Chapter One

nt�l death do us part,” repeated Owen Lloyd as he gazed �nto the joyful eyes of h�s br�de, Chr�st�an. When Reverend Sm�th declared them man and w�fe, applause echoed from the pews of the Borough Church as

the newlyweds turned to make the�r ex�t. Owen was beam�ng wh�le Chr�st�an sm�led tearfully at the fr�ends and fam�ly who extended the�r hands as the couple walked by. In attendance were many merchants and sea capta�ns who were fr�ends of Lloyd, as he too was a sh�p owner and merchant. Beh�nd them was Charles Ca�nes, Chr�st�an’s brother, who had come �n from St. Chr�stopher’s, an �sland �n the Car�bbean, to g�ve h�s s�ster �n marr�age. The�r father had passed away n�ne years before. Charles was followed by Owen’s best man, h�s older brother, John, who hobbled along on h�s wooden leg, an uncomfortable replacement for the one he had recently lost �n an engagement w�th a Span�sh sh�p. At that moment, the Amer�can Colon�es were at war, often subjected to attacks and sh�p se�zures from French and Span�sh pr�vateers who not only patrolled the coast, but also ventured �ns�de the Chesapeake Bay to p�llage and terr�fy the �nhab�tants. Th�s war that had been waged for the past seven years between England, Spa�n, France and other European nat�ons would become known as K�ng George’s War. Even �n the comfort of a house of God, the par�sh�oners were m�ndful of th�s constant threat.

The hazard of the Span�sh and French pr�vateers was of l�ttle concern to Owen. He not only dodged the enemy sh�ps as he rout�nely traded between V�rg�n�a and St. Chr�stopher’s, more commonly known as St. K�tts, br�ng�ng back rum, sugar, and molasses, but he had made a dar�ng capture as a pr�vateer the year before.

Lloyd was capta�n of the sloop, Elizabeth, owned by N�cholas G�bbons, plantat�on owner at D�eppe Bay, a small v�llage located on the north end of

“

2

Treasure Island

St. K�tts. Lloyd began h�s employment w�th G�bbons by mak�ng trad�ng runs between Boston and Ocracoke Inlet, North Carol�na, and St. K�tts. In July 1744, he arr�ved at Boston from St. K�tts to find that war had been declared by England aga�nst France. Spa�n and England had been at war s�nce 1739. W�th France �n the war, the Engl�sh settlements �n the Leeward Islands were at r�sk because of the ne�ghbor�ng French �slands of Mart�n�que, St. Mart�n’s, and St. Bartholomew’s. Lloyd rema�ned �n Boston unt�l late September, hav�ng to secure a cargo dest�ned for G�bbons’ plantat�on. As he �dled �n Boston, he kept abreast of the news and the act�ons of the Span�sh pr�vateers on the Amer�can coast. He also read w�th great �nterest the many accounts of Span�sh treasure be�ng se�zed by Engl�sh and Amer�can pr�vateers. In h�s daydreams, he captured many treasure-laden Span�sh galleons.

When Lloyd arr�ved at St. K�tts, he found that a proclamat�on had been �ssued at Ant�gua for pr�vateers to combat the host�l�t�es of the French now be�ng perpetrated on the Engl�sh �n the Leeward Islands. G�bbons and Lloyd planned a cru�se, hop�ng to encounter the enemy and capture a valuable pr�ze. The Elizabeth was not a large vessel, only s�xty tons, armed w�th e�ght cannon and carry�ng a twelve-man crew. Wh�le off the coast of Mart�n�que �n Apr�l 1745, Lloyd spotted a lone vessel fly�ng French colors. As he approached from the leeward, he recogn�zed the stench of human cargo–�t was a French slave sh�p from Angola. He ordered h�s crew to stat�ons and fired a broads�de at the slaver. Although the Frenchman was a much larger sh�p and a super�or force, they dropped the�r colors and then the�r sa�ls. When Capta�n Lloyd boarded, he found that, bes�des 362 slaves, she was loaded w�th gold dust, dry goods, and elephant tusks. She proved to be a very valuable pr�ze.

When he returned to G�bbons’ plantat�on, he was welcomed as a hero as he had greatly enr�ched the already prosperous sugar planter. There was great celebrat�on and Lloyd had earned enough from that se�zure to buy the Elizabeth. G�bbons’ ne�ghbor, Charles Ca�nes, who ma�nta�ned h�s own plantat�on on the oppos�te s�de of the v�llage, was there to help celebrate. W�th h�m was h�s recently w�dowed s�ster, Chr�st�an. Chr�st�an was taken w�th Lloyd from the very beg�nn�ng. He was th�rty at the t�me and qu�te handsome. She adm�red h�s courage and devoured every word as he related h�s adventures.

Owen Lloyd was equally attracted to her. He was also attracted to the Ca�nes plantat�on, where he saw opportun�ty. The plantat�on had been run by Chr�st�an’s

3

twenty-year-old brother Charles and the�r mother Frances s�nce her father d�ed. The Ca�nes fam�ly was pol�t�cally prom�nent and well known on the �sland. On the plantat�on were a great house, servants’ quarters, bo�l�ng house, stable, w�ndm�ll, and a warehouse that stored the sugar, molasses, and rum that would be sh�pped to the Amer�can Colon�es. Before long, Owen and Charles had struck a mutually benefic�al bus�ness relat�onsh�p. Owen would sh�p the rum, molasses, and sugar from the plantat�on to V�rg�n�a and return w�th peas, corn, and other food crops as well as barrel staves, hoops, and heads to be used �n the storage and sh�pment of rum.

Owen transferred h�s bus�ness �nterests to Norfolk, where h�s brother John l�ved, and reg�stered the Elizabeth under Owen Lloyd & Co. of V�rg�n�a w�th the naval officer at Hampton. When Owen returned to St. K�tts �n late February of 1746, he found that h�s status as the local hero had d�m�n�shed, as another pr�vateer had recently brought �n a Span�sh snow w�th 36,000 p�eces of e�ght on board. Before Owen left �n June, he w�tnessed a Span�sh galleon brought �n by the Br�t�sh warsh�p, HMS Woolwich. She was carry�ng treasure and other cargo worth over one m�ll�on p�eces of e�ght.

But Owen Lloyd was forced to put the dangers of pr�vateer�ng beh�nd h�m as he set out for V�rg�n�a w�th Chr�st�an, her brother Charles, the�r slaves, mahogany furn�ture, and h�s rema�n�ng share of the French Gu�neaman. He was now a fam�ly man and ne�ther Chr�st�an nor her brother Charles would approve of h�s return�ng to h�s dangerous past�me.

Owen and John Lloyd were Welshmen born not far from the coast �n the town of Rhuddlan �n Fl�nt County �n northern Wales. They were fortunate enough to come from a well-to-do fam�ly. John, s�x years older than h�s brother, entered the Br�t�sh Navy �n 1720 at the age of eleven when he volunteered as a servant aboard HMS Adventure where he saw the Car�bbean for the first t�me. He was follow�ng �n the footsteps of h�s uncle, James Lloyd, who had entered the Royal Navy at the same age �n 1706. Unfortunately, the year after John went to sea h�s father became �ll and �t was bel�eved that he d�d not have long to l�ve. Owen became the man of the house at age s�x. Bes�des h�s mother, Owen had a s�ster, El�zabeth, a year older than he, and a younger brother, V�ncent, born two years beh�nd h�m, to look after. Before h�s father d�ed �n 1724, two more s�sters were born. Owen thought env�ously of the adventures that John was exper�enc�ng on Br�t�sh warsh�ps and longed for the day when he too could go to sea.

Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer

4

Treasure Island

John served aboard a number of Royal Navy sh�ps, some of them w�th h�s uncle when he was just a second l�eutenant. In November, John Lloyd arr�ved at Jama�ca w�th h�s uncle, now a first l�eutenant, on HMS Lyon. The Lyon had left Sp�thead �n June and had made port calls at Made�ra and Barbados before her arr�val. John was promoted to m�dsh�pman when he transferred to HMS Seaford where he only served a short t�me. Uncle James had been promoted to capta�n and took charge of the sloop-of-war, Happy, at Port Royal where John jo�ned h�m as a m�dsh�pman. For the next year, John Lloyd and h�s uncle were on survey�ng duty around Jama�ca, Cuba, and South Carol�na. John left h�s uncle and the Happy at Charleston �n March of 1731. H�s last duty was as a m�dsh�pman on HMS Royal Oak, a th�rd rate man-of war of seventy-guns on stat�on �n Portsmouth, England, where he served unt�l he left the navy �n October of 1732.

Earl�er that year, Owen dec�ded that �t was h�s turn to jo�n the navy. H�s fam�ly could now fend for themselves. H�s s�ster, El�zabeth, was e�ghteen and h�s brother, V�ncent, was now fifteen. On June 2, 1732, at the age of seventeen, Owen jo�ned h�s uncle as a m�dsh�pman aboard the Happy and served unt�l July of 1735. He spent most of h�s duty �n Charleston and then left the Happy upon her return to Deptford when he transferred to HMS Alborough, serv�ng unt�l h�s d�scharge at Wh�tebooths Bay on the east coast of England �n late October of 1735.

Owen and John were serv�ng �n the merchant trade when war broke out �n 1739. Trad�ng vessels were armed and many capta�ns and sh�p owners rece�ved comm�ss�ons as pr�vateers to hunt the enemy at w�ll. The Lloyd brothers were not only too old to return to the k�ng’s navy as m�dsh�pman but they found runn�ng the�r own sloops to be more profitable. It was dur�ng th�s t�me that John Lloyd lost h�s left leg as a result of a Span�sh cannonball. John’s phys�cal wounds healed and he was later fitted w�th a wooden leg, but John’s health, both phys�cal and mental, began to deter�orate.

When Owen arr�ved �n V�rg�n�a w�th h�s new br�de and a prom�s�ng career as a merchant capta�n, John was qu�te env�ous. It always seemed l�ke h�s l�ttle brother led a charmed l�fe. John was a th�rty-e�ght-year old cr�pple w�th no constant compan�on other than h�s wooden leg. John and Owen were often at odds w�th each other.

Owen Lloyd’s financ�al hor�zon looked br�ght at first. He had the Elizabeth, guaranteed contracts w�th St. K�tts, and twenty-four slaves that he could sell or lease out. After the wedd�ng, Owen and Chr�st�an settled down to a l�fe as rout�ne

5

as could be expected dur�ng a war. Owen managed to avo�d the Span�sh and French pr�vateers patroll�ng the coast and the �slands �n the West Ind�es. He felt lucky. On the other hand, he fretted over h�s brother John. S�nce los�ng h�s leg, John was hav�ng trouble find�ng su�table work.

Owen was well known �n Norfolk as well as �n Hampton across the r�ver. He frequented the taverns around the waterfront, drank rum, and regaled the other sa�lors w�th tales of h�s h�gh seas adventures, espec�ally h�s capture of the French Gu�neaman. He saw h�mself �n some ways equal to Blackbeard and Black Sam Bellamy, who had both captured French slave sh�ps �n 1717, mak�ng them the�r flagsh�ps. They too had started out as pr�vateersmen, but Lloyd stopped h�s fantasy short of ever becom�ng a p�rate. Lloyd, however, m�ssed the thr�ll of hunt�ng enemy pr�zes. He was regarded by many as somewhat of a rascal, wh�le others held Owen Lloyd �n h�gh regard. He had the ab�l�ty to lead and persuade. Men and women al�ke found h�m to be qu�te charm�ng.

Owen tended to embell�sh h�s stor�es, even though �t usually wasn’t necessary and he seemed to always find h�mself �n the m�ddle of some drama. He was known not only as a storyteller but also as a competent mar�ner. Capta�n John Hutch�ngs, sh�p owner, former mayor and counc�lman for the Borough of Norfolk, was a very successful merchant. He also owned a number of houses and stores on Ma�n Street near the wharf. He h�red Owen to capta�n h�s sh�p, the Rawleigh, to trade w�th the West Ind�es �mport�ng rum and sugar from Jama�ca and Barbados. Th�s arrangement freed up the Elizabeth so that Owen could get John work�ng aga�n. Owen contracted w�th Alexander MacKenz�e, a merchant of Hampton, to send the Elizabeth to the Portuguese �sland of Made�ra w�th a load of wheat �n return for a cargo of Made�ra w�ne. John would capta�n the sloop. MacKenz�e �ns�sted that the voyage be as profitable as poss�ble and take on as much of the h�ghly pr�zed w�ne as the Elizabeth could hold. To allow for the extra we�ght, �t was dec�ded to remove the guns from the Elizabeth. Th�s was a r�sky move �n the t�me of war. On March 4, 1747, John Lloyd and the Elizabeth cleared customs and arr�ved weeks later at Made�ra, where he traded h�s cargo for a sloop full of w�ne. John Lloyd soon departed for h�s return to V�rg�n�a.

The Elizabeth traversed the Atlant�c w�thout �nc�dent, but when she arr�ved off the V�rg�n�a coast, John Lloyd was captured by the notor�ous Span�sh pr�vateer, Don Pedro de Gara�cochea. From Apr�l to November 1747, over th�rty-five Engl�sh vessels had been captured and carr�ed �nto Havana. Gara�cochea was cred�ted

Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer

6

Treasure Island

w�th eleven, wh�ch �ncluded the Elizabeth. John Lloyd was taken to Havana and thrown �n the damp dungeon �n the coral stone cellars of the Governor’s Castle or the Royal Fuerza. The Elizabeth was condemned as spo�ls of war.

Back �n Norfolk, Owen Lloyd found out that, not only was h�s brother not com�ng home, but h�s sloop was gone for good. Faced w�th financ�al ru�n, Owen cooked up a plan. He would try to ransom John out of h�s Havana pr�son. To scrape together the needed money, he and Chr�st�an mortgaged h�s slaves to h�s boss, Capta�n Hutch�ngs. Soon enough, Owen set sa�l for Jama�ca on the Rawleigh.

From Jama�ca, Owen sa�led w�th a flag of truce to Havana along w�th the cash. Governor Franc�sco Cag�gal de la Vega found the money more des�rable than a one-legged cr�pple unfit for phys�cal labor. John was released from pr�son, leav�ng beh�nd health�er but less fortunate Engl�shmen who would labor �n m�nes or crew Spa�n’s shorthanded galleons. Owen Lloyd saw the notor�ous Gara�cochea at work refitt�ng h�s fleet of pr�vateers, plann�ng h�s next foray off the V�rg�n�a Capes.

In m�d-November, Owen departed K�ngston, Jama�ca, but d�d not make for Norfolk as planned. Instead, he went to St. K�tts to get med�cal care for John, who had been �ll fed and was weak from h�s pr�son stay. Leav�ng h�s brother beh�nd, Owen returned to Norfolk �n February of 1748. He �nformed the other capta�ns �n Hampton that Gara�cochea was plann�ng another attack on Engl�sh sh�pp�ng off the V�rg�n�a coast.

W�thout a vessel of h�s own, Owen Lloyd had to seek pos�t�ons on other vessels, and there weren’t many open�ngs. Hutch�ngs had other vessels �n h�s merchant fleet but there were few vacanc�es. The Rawleigh was sold, leav�ng Lloyd unemployed. Jobless at the young age of th�rty-two, Owen langu�shed �n Norfolk. Chr�st�an, pampered most of her l�fe at the fam�ly plantat�on on St. K�tts, was forced to mortgage her treasured mahogany furn�ture to John Hutch�ngs and take up seamstress work. It was a matter of surv�val.

L�fe �n V�rg�n�a was hard on Chr�st�an. She st�ll loved Owen, but the prom�se of a comfortable l�fe had evaporated. The w�nters were harsh. The Span�sh and French pr�vateers st�ll menaced the trade, boldly enter�ng the Chesapeake Bay. Br�t�sh warsh�ps had been ordered to the V�rg�n�a stat�on as a deterrent, but the pr�vateers cont�nued the�r harassments nearly at w�ll. The warsh�ps HMS Hector and HMS Otter were now patroll�ng the V�rg�n�a Capes and the Chesapeake Bay and were successful �n captur�ng some of the pr�vateers. The townspeople

7

of Hampton saw hundreds of Span�sh pr�soners landed and then sh�pped out to Havana �n exchange for Engl�shmen.

Owen was off to the West Ind�es that summer �n a sloop belong�ng to Hutch�ngs to br�ng back rum and sugar. On h�s return, almost w�th�n s�ght of Hampton, he was captured by a Span�sh pr�vateer, along w�th another vessel belong�ng to Hutch�ngs. On July 26, wh�le they were at anchor �ns�de Cape Henry, the Otter, wh�ch had just captured two French pr�vateers and was return�ng to Hampton w�th them, came upon the Span�sh schooner w�th the two vessels, wh�ch �ncluded Owen Lloyd, and fired a broads�de. The schooner we�ghed anchor and fled. Outs�de the capes, Capta�n Sam Ma�sterson, on board HMS Hector, heard the cannon fir�ng, wh�ch lasted unt�l sunup. He went �n pursu�t of the schooner and made the capture. Lloyd was free to proceed home.

By August of 1748 word was reach�ng Amer�ca about a cessat�on of host�l�t�es between England, France, Spa�n, and the Netherlands. There was a lot of celebrat�on on both s�des of the Atlant�c, but �t changed l�ttle for the �nhab�tants of Norfolk and Hampton. Span�sh pr�vateers were st�ll threaten�ng the�r coastal trade. But gradually the cessat�on was generally honored and the peace treaty at A�x-La-Chapelle was s�gned on October 18, 1748. Everyone’s future looked br�ghter.

Meanwh�le at St. K�tts, John Lloyd rega�ned h�s strength and was h�red to capta�n the snow, Polly, from St. Eustat�us, a Dutch �sland n�ne m�les away from the Ca�nes plantat�on. He arr�ved �n Ph�ladelph�a on the Polly on October 31 and then found passage back to Hampton.

In Norfolk, the two brothers got �nto trouble often, carous�ng and brawl�ng around the bo�sterous waterfront taverns. John st�ll resented h�s younger brother. Desp�te all of Owen’s setbacks, John knew that Owen would overcome and come out on top of th�ngs as usual.

That May, Owen scraped together enough money to purchase a house �n Hampton. Th�s was a log�cal locat�on as �t was the des�gnated port for customs and sh�p reg�strat�on for the lower James R�ver and �ncluded the town of Norfolk across Hampton Roads. Hampton was establ�shed �n 1610 on the s�te of a former Ind�an fort. It bordered Hampton R�ver and was la�d out on two pr�nc�ple streets. Queen Street ran from the town gate east to the r�ver and ferry land�ng that would take people, �nclud�ng the�r horses and carr�ages, across Hampton Roads to the borough of Norfolk s�x m�les away. K�ng Street ran north to south, �ntersect�ng

Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer

8

Treasure Island

Queen Street �n the center of town where the commun�ty well was located. K�ng Street ended at the county wharf at �ts south end, and along th�s street were numerous �nns and taverns that catered to the mar�ners, merchants, and common seadogs who arr�ved from Europe, the West Ind�es, and other Amer�can ports.

The new home of the Lloyd fam�ly was located on the north s�de of Queen Street about a hundred yards from the par�sh church and the town gate. Chr�st�an l�ked the locat�on because �t was removed from the taverns on K�ng Street and was a short walk to the Sunday serv�ces of Reverend W�ll�am Fyfe. The�r ne�ghbors were other mar�ners, merchants, and harbor p�lots. It was a peaceful ex�stence, but they were st�ll struggl�ng from financ�al setbacks heaped on them from the war. On October 19, 1749, they suffered more m�sfortune. A devastat�ng hurr�cane struck V�rg�n�a and much of the eastern seaboard. In Hampton, houses, warehouses, and p�ers floated away. Whole trees were r�pped out by the roots. Scores of people drowned. The streets of Hampton merged w�th the r�ver, covered w�th four feet of water. Dead an�mals floated amongst the storm debr�s. In some places, small craft were found a m�le from shore. Chr�st�an found herself nearly sw�mm�ng �ns�de the�r house as the flood waters set to ru�n�ng the rest of her possess�ons. It was the worst storm �n the memory of Hampton’s oldest res�dents.

The floodwaters receded and soon Hampton returned to normal. Owen tr�ed once aga�n to persuade h�s w�fe that th�ngs would get better, but he had no vessel and no mean�ngful employment. The b�lls mounted.

In May of 1750, Owen was charged w�th petty larceny, arrested, and put �nto the Hampton ja�l located across the courthouse lawn from h�s back yard. There were other wr�ts aga�nst h�m and he was sued by Mary Brod�e, the daughter of a prom�nent phys�c�an. As a defense, or poss�bly a barga�n�ng ch�p, Owen filed h�s own su�t aga�nst the doctor’s son for trespass and battery.

Owen ga�ned h�s release through the ass�stance of h�s former boss, Capta�n Hutch�ngs. Hutch�ngs had grown weary of Lloyd but st�ll found h�m a capt�vat�ng fellow. Hutch�ngs posted ba�l and �ntervened w�th Sher�ff Arm�stead, who d�dn’t care much for Lloyd �n sp�te of h�s popular�ty among the other mar�ners.

After Owen arr�ved home from ja�l, Chr�st�an declared that she had had enough. What were once endear�ng qual�t�es seen �n h�s bravado and charm, she now saw as restlessness and �rrespons�b�l�ty.

She left for St. K�tts on May 23, 1750, aboard the schooner Peggy, wh�ch was owned by Norfolk’s mayor, Durham Hall. She also carr�ed her Negro slave,

9

Arabella, and her ch�ldren, and returned to the comfort of the fam�ly plantat�on. Owen was devastated. On the surface, he appeared to be a very �ndependent person, but Chr�st�an was, �n the language of h�s trade, the stab�l�z�ng ballast �n h�s l�fe. He real�zed that �t was t�me to leave V�rg�n�a and go to St. K�tts and start over there. It was h�s affect�on for John that had brought h�m to V�rg�n�a.

Owen tr�ed to persuade John to go w�th h�m and start a new bus�ness venture, but John was qu�te hes�tant to leave h�s new br�de. In early March of 1750, he had marr�ed El�zabeth Hall of Norfolk, where they res�ded �n a tenement on the west s�de of Church Street not far from the Borough Church. John’s marr�age brought new happ�ness, eas�ng h�s depress�on and lessen�ng h�s dependence on Owen. Look�ng toward h�s future as a merchant capta�n, John bought 150 acres of land on a po�nt on the east s�de of the Pasquotank R�ver �n northeastern North Carol�na, about forty-five m�les away. Th�s reg�on was beg�nn�ng to prosper and offered a new opportun�ty for trade.

On August 14, the Peggy returned from St. K�tts. Lloyd learned from Capta�n Ivy that Chr�st�an had been del�vered safe. Owen began h�s plans to get to St. K�tts and plead h�s case w�th her. He also needed to get out of town because of the pend�ng lawsu�t and because he was out of money. He suggested to John that now was the t�me to get out of Hampton and head for St. K�tts. Desp�te John’s newfound happ�ness from h�s recent marr�age, he succumbed to Owen’s persuas�ons. He would not take h�s w�fe as she and Chr�st�an had noth�ng �n common. Chr�st�an was educated wh�le El�zabeth could not even s�gn her own name. John figured he could return soon enough to Norfolk to be w�th her, so he bought �nto h�s brother’s schemes one more t�me.

September 3, 1750

It was hot and the a�r was heavy w�th hum�d�ty. John and Owen had just left the tavern and headed south for the docks at the end of K�ng Street �n the hopes of catch�ng a breeze waft�ng off the Chesapeake Bay. However, the a�r was uncommonly st�ll. Even the ever-chatter�ng sea gulls had d�sappeared. To the south, dark clouds were b�llow�ng. The brothers watched. Perhaps a l�ttle ra�n would cool th�ngs down. It looked l�ke a thunderstorm, but what was headed the�r way was a w�nd that would change the�r l�ves forever.

Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer

10

Treasure Island

11

Chapter Two

he t�red mule stra�ned at the overloaded wagon, h�s qu�ver�ng flanks lathered w�th sweat as he struggled to pull the load of heavy chests filled w�th s�lver co�ns, popularly called p�eces of e�ght. There were other

wagons �n front as well as beh�nd h�m that had been arr�v�ng from the m�nt at Mex�co C�ty and from the surround�ng reg�ons. Wh�ps cracked and shouts rose above the d�n as dr�vers v�ed for the eas�est spot to unload. Goods and suppl�es of all k�nds were be�ng sh�pped to the galleons moored �n the harbor of Vera Cruz. Once aga�n, the treasure tra�n that stretched a half-m�le back through town towards the gate �n the rear of the c�ty came to a halt. Then, the black muleteer �n the lead wagon urged the donkeys forward to pos�t�on h�s load of s�lver for transfer to the wa�t�ng treasure sh�ps t�ed to the stone wharf, known as the mole. Vera Cruz was al�ve w�th act�v�ty; sh�ps were load�ng and unload�ng, others rode at anchor or were moored to the bronze r�ngs embedded �n the fortress wall across the harbor. On the merchant galleons and warsh�ps of K�ng Ferd�nand VI, sa�lors attended to long overdue repa�rs to the tower�ng masts, yardarms, and r�gg�ng that overshadowed the sh�ps’ crowded decks.

Work was slow. The m�dday sun bore down on the mostly black and sh�rtless slaves and on the galleon crew as they gu�ded each 200-pound chest �nto the sh�p’s steamy cargo hold. Gr�m-faced treasury offic�als carefully �nspected the chests as they were loaded aboard to guarantee that there was no smuggl�ng to avo�d the k�ng’s taxes. Capta�ns and crews looked for the opportun�ty to sh�p cargo that was not reg�stered. Somet�mes they took advantage when the offic�als were d�stracted or were pa�d to look the other way. Th�s scene had been played out for centur�es. The greedy Span�ards rout�nely extracted thousands of tons of treasure from the m�nes manned by overworked Ind�an and Afr�can slaves.

Owen Lloyd, Pr�vateer

12

Treasure Island

About the streets of Vera Cruz roamed Span�sh ar�stocrats and sold�ers, Ital�an, French, and Ir�sh opportun�sts, and brown-sk�nned Ind�ans, remnant of a nearly forgotten Aztec c�v�l�zat�on. Th�s c�ty, the gateway to New Spa�n, or Mex�co, as �t was now known, was the oldest and r�chest c�ty on the cont�nent of North Amer�ca. It had been the major hub of commerce s�nce �t was founded by Hernando Cortes �n 1519. Through Vera Cruz a steady stream of European goods and slaves flowed and as d�d nearly all of the mercury needed for the refin�ng of s�lver. In contrast to these secular excesses, thousands of pr�ests and nuns dest�ned for the churches and monaster�es across Mex�co began the�r journey at the docks of Vera Cruz �n the�r m�ss�on to convert a heathen populat�on. From th�s treasure-laden c�ty, not only was all of the gold and s�lver product�on of Mex�co sent, but also s�lks, sp�ces, and porcela�n ware; and other Far Eastern cur�os�t�es from the Ph�l�pp�nes were sh�pped tw�ce a year to Acapulco on the west coast of Mex�co and carted over land to Vera Cruz. There was another product that equaled s�lver �n value and was un�que to Mex�co: a valuable red dye known as coch�neal, der�ved from dr�ed �nsects that thr�ved on cactus plants. It was produced �n the Oaxaca reg�on west of Vera Cruz. Among �ts other uses, th�s popular export gave the Br�t�sh army the�r br�ll�ant “redcoats.”

The approach to Vera Cruz was guarded by La Gallega, a coral reef that lay a half-m�le offshore. But the reef was �nsuffic�ent on �ts own to protect the valuable treasures stockp�led for sh�pment to Spa�n. In the first half of the s�xteenth century, the conqu�stadors real�zed the need for more armed fort�ficat�ons. In 1565, tens of thousands of slaves cut huge blocks of bra�n coral and la�d them upon the western edge of the reef. More stone, br�ck, and coral were added to bu�ld what became a fort named San Juan de Ulúa. From th�s fort, guns were tra�ned seaward as well as back toward the c�ty across the harbor, thus d�scourag�ng any d�rect attack on Vera Cruz by enemy sh�ps. Attached to the base of the exter�or walls were large bronze moor�ng r�ngs for the galleons to moor. It was from here that the largest sh�pments of treasure left the New World for Spa�n.

In 1683, the Dutch p�rate, Lorenc�lo, w�th 800 desperate men, landed and took the c�ty, plunder�ng and terror�z�ng the �nhab�tants wh�le lock�ng them �ns�de the churches. He left w�th valuables worth nearly seven m�ll�on p�eces of e�ght. Later that year, construct�on began on a stone wall around the c�ty. The treasure sh�pments cont�nued.

13

P�eces of E�ght

One galleon now ly�ng at the mole, or wharf, was the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Her owner was a Span�sh merchant named Juan Manuel Bon�lla, who had been wa�t�ng for h�s cargo of treasure and other goods to arr�ve at the docks s�nce he had entered the harbor the prev�ous December. Bon�lla had now been �n Vera Cruz months longer than he had ant�c�pated.

At fifty-one years of age, Bon�lla was pudgy and had a ruddy complex�on �nfluenced by r�ch food and excess�ve alcohol consumpt�on. He dressed the part as an ar�stocrat�c and prosperous merchant wear�ng velvet coats over lacy blouses and sh�ny black leather shoes. H�s arrogance and el�t�sm made h�m unpopular w�th h�s new crew. Bon�lla had h�red an able boatswa�n named Pedro Rodr�guez to oversee the men and manage the sh�p. Rodr�guez was dark complected and of Moor�sh descent, as were most of the crew. It was easy for h�m to ga�n the respect of these men as they were of h�s class—lowly, dark-sk�nned Moors that were shunned by the fa�r-sk�nned Cast�l�ans who ruled Spa�n and monopol�zed trade.

Bon�lla was pac�ng at the waterfront wh�le observ�ng the final load�ng of h�s galleon. He knew that he was runn�ng out of t�me. He st�ll had to stop �n Havana, Cuba, before he could beg�n h�s journey home. The hurr�cane season was now upon them, putt�ng h�s sh�p and treasure at even greater r�sk. Frustrated and hot, Bon�lla w�ped h�s brow and tucked h�s handkerch�ef �nto h�s lace-tr�mmed sleeve. He nodded to Tomás Andr�nos y Carr�edo, h�s supercargo and brother-�n-law, and walked through the ma�n gate of the c�ty �n search of some shade and the company of someone of equal ped�gree.

Cádiz, Spain, The Year Before

It was February 1749. There was a great deal of exc�tement at the docks oppos�te the plaza of San Juan de D�os, the central plaza of th�s anc�ent port c�ty. Juan Manuel Bon�lla had recently purchased from Jacob Westerman, a German merchant res�d�ng �n Cád�z, the fr�gate called the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, al�as La Augusta Celi, for 28,000 pesos. She carr�ed twenty-e�ght �ron cannon on a s�ngle deck and was nearly 102 feet long and twenty-s�x feet w�de. At her bow was the figurehead of the myth�cal nymph. Bon�lla was stand�ng w�th h�s brother-

14

Treasure Island

�n-law, Tomás Carr�edo, adm�r�ng h�s new sh�p. They were mak�ng plans to load cargo for Vera Cruz.

Bon�lla’s “new” sh�p was not new at all, however. She had to undergo an extens�ve overhaul. The hull, s�des, and decks needed caulk�ng, and repa�rs were requ�red �n the masts and r�gg�ng. Even the launch that came w�th the sh�p needed to be careened. As requ�red by the Crown, an �nspect�on was performed by C�pr�an Autran, a h�gh-rank�ng offic�al �n the Real Armada. Autran was charged w�th determ�n�ng the vessel’s s�ze and d�mens�ons to compute her cargo capac�ty so that the proper taxes could be lev�ed and to safeguard aga�nst the smuggl�ng of undeclared cargo that was rampant among the Span�sh merchants. Autran was accompan�ed by a lawyer and a notary who made the final determ�nat�on that, �nclud�ng the steerage area, the Guadalupe could carry a l�ttle over 342 toneladas, a measurement of space or volume. W�th th�s calculat�on duly recorded, Carlos Valenc�ano, the Contador Mayor w�th the House of Trade �n Sev�lle, �mposed taxes of 55,134 pesos aga�nst the sh�p to be pa�d �nto the government bank, the Depositaria de Indias.

As �f th�s was not enough, the mult�-layered Span�sh bureaucracy ordered an add�t�onal 685 pesos for the almirantazgo tax to be pa�d. The Span�sh k�ng had h�s heavy hand �n every transact�on.

Bon�lla’s voyage to Vera Cruz and subsequent return to Spa�n w�th treasure and merchand�se was to be h�s financ�al salvat�on. For the past th�rty years, Bon�lla had traded European goods for treasure �n th�s heav�ly guarded c�ty. But �t had been four years s�nce he had last been to Vera Cruz. H�s last voyage, �n 1747, ended days after h�s departure from Cád�z, when he was �ntercepted by Engl�sh pr�vateers. H�s current treasure voyage was be�ng undertaken to replen�sh h�s bank account and re�nstate h�m �nto the good graces of h�s partner �n the lost galleon venture. Her name was Angela de Prado y Sarm�ento of Sev�lle, Spa�n; she was Bon�lla’s mother-�n-law.

In sp�te of the ongo�ng war between Spa�n and England, Bon�lla and h�s mother-�n-law planned a bold voyage to Vera Cruz loaded w�th 110 tons of mercury for the s�lver m�nes �n Mex�co on behalf of the Royal Treasury. The�r sh�p was the th�rty-s�x gun Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, more commonly know by her al�as, La Ninfa.

Bon�lla and four other merchants were ready to sa�l �n February 1747, but got w�nd that Engl�sh pr�vateers, sal�vat�ng over the r�ch galleons, were ly�ng �n

15

P�eces of E�ght

wa�t for them. Bon�lla and the other merchants ret�red to the�r homes, or those of fr�ends �n and around Cád�z, to wa�t �t out. Commodore George Walker of the Prince Edward, �nformed by a spy �n Spa�n, was aware of the�r moves. Walker hatched a clever plan. He took h�s fleet of five pr�vateers, the so-called Royal Family of pr�vateers, to L�sbon, Portugal. Each vessel was named after an Engl�sh pr�nce. Here he pretended to refit and repa�r h�s sh�ps by str�k�ng h�s top masts and lower�ng the�r yards. He knew that news of th�s would soon reach Cád�z by way of the Span�sh ambassador or merchants �n L�sbon w�th �nterests �n Cád�z. Bon�lla took the ba�t. On February 14, 1747, La Ninfa, crewed w�th 260 men, ra�sed anchor and set sa�l for Vera Cruz w�th the four other sh�ps. Bon�lla was not �n command of h�s sh�p, but rather Bernardo del Alamo, who had been h�red by Bon�lla’s mother-�n-law on prev�ous voyages to Vera Cruz.

Back �n L�sbon, Walker had carefully calculated the t�me for the news of h�s pretended refit to reach Cád�z. On the same morn�ng that he est�mated the return of Bon�lla and the others to the�r anchored sh�ps �n the harbor of Cád�z, he ordered the Royal Family to get underway.

On the even�ng of February 20, Bon�lla found Walker’s fleet sa�l�ng toward them and they were qu�ckly surrounded. Walker fitted out a tender and a barge from the Prince Edward and rowed after La Ninfa. Bon�lla saw no other cho�ce but to surrender. Not a shot was fired.

Bon�lla’s sh�p was qu�ckly taken and Engl�sh guards were placed on board. The capta�n, crew, and sh�p were then escorted to L�sbon and the sh�p’s officers �nterrogated. When news of the capture reached Cád�z, rumors c�rculated that two prom�nent Engl�sh merchants �n Cád�z, W�ll�am Mauman and Anthony Butler, were suspected as the �nformants to Commodore Walker.

Some of Walker’s officers observed that several of the Span�sh gentlemen and the�r lad�es travel�ng as passengers had been aboard another Span�sh merchant captured only weeks before. One of the Span�ards remarked to h�s captor, “O good Señor Engl�shman! It �s very com�cal �ndeed. You make as much haste to take us as we make haste to be taken!”

On March 2, La Ninfa entered the harbor of L�sbon escorted by her Engl�sh captors. L�sbon was a neutral port, welcom�ng both Span�sh and Engl�sh al�ke. Once there, the Span�sh were free to go but many l�ngered and held a “mus�ck and a ball,” �nv�t�ng the Engl�sh pr�vateersmen as guests. Dressed �n the�r finest clothes and jewels, they sent a flaunt�ng message to Commodore Walker st�ll out

16

Treasure Island

on cru�se: the�r pr�vate jewels had escaped h�m. On March 25, 1747, Bon�lla and Tomás Carr�edo left for Cád�z. Bon�lla was

now �n a d�lemma. Though h�s l�fe was not �n danger, h�s future was. He was caught between the merchants who had sh�pped w�th h�m, h�s Engl�sh captors w�th whom he was try�ng to negot�ate a ransom payment for the sh�p and her cargo, the K�ng of Spa�n’s m�n�ster, the Marqués de Ensenada, and h�s mother-�n-law. Bon�lla offered 380,000 p�eces of e�ght for the cargo and 20,000 for h�s sh�p, wh�ch was rejected by the Engl�sh who had seen h�s reg�ster that l�sted cargo valued at over one m�ll�on pesos. After much g�ve and take, the Engl�sh agreed to return the sh�p and cargo, exclus�ve of the k�ng’s mercury, for 450,000 p�eces of e�ght. Bon�lla fa�led to close the deal and left L�sbon much to the frustrat�on of the k�ng and some of the merchants. The merchants �n L�sbon wanted to buy the cargo d�rectly from the Engl�sh but they saw the opportun�ty to squeeze Bon�lla �nto a more lucrat�ve settlement. Bon�lla was now tell�ng the Consulado �n Cád�z that he was about to settle the deal for 300,000 p�eces of e�ght.

Months later, HMS Bedford, Capta�n Townsend, was escort�ng La Ninfa and two other pr�zes, Mountfort and Agatha, to Portsmouth, England, when on December 10, they encountered a great storm that cast Bon�lla’s sh�p onto the rocks at Beachy Head on the south coast of England. Many of the locals �n the area flocked to the wreck. Most of her valuables were saved, but the sh�p was lost. Bon�lla, who was �nsured, later recovered some of h�s losses but h�s profiteer�ng ventures w�th Vera Cruz were postponed. He d�d, however, manage to sh�p goods on other merchant sh�ps �n return for chests of s�lver sent home on Span�sh warsh�ps.

If �t had not been for Bon�lla’s mother-�n-law, w�th her money and �nfluence, and the help of some �nvestors �n Cád�z, Bon�lla would not have had the Guadalupe for h�s current voyage to Mex�co. He d�d not let h�s prev�ous loss d�scourage h�m, but he d�d have d�fficulty gett�ng merchants to sh�p w�th h�m and find�ng competent crew. It would be almost a month before anyone took the r�sk of cons�gn�ng goods onto the Guadalupe. H�s plan was to get to Vera Cruz as soon as poss�ble so as to return under the guard of the return�ng Span�sh warsh�ps. He also wanted to avo�d the West Ind�an hurr�canes that posed the greatest threat to h�s sh�p now that the war was over.

Bon�lla turned the present chore of superv�s�ng the load�ng of cargo over to Carr�edo. All that was ava�lable at the moment was the cargo of Bon�lla’s mother-

17

P�eces of E�ght

�n-law. She reg�stered 60,000 pounds of �ron stored �n 1,141 barrels on her own account. Th�s dense and heavy cargo made the Guadalupe settle too low �n the water. He had room for a great deal more cargo so he needed to l�ghten the sh�p. Bon�lla ordered e�ght cannon removed, wh�ch left h�m w�th e�ght s�x-pound and twelve four-pound �ron cannon to defend h�s sh�p. Though h�s decreased armament was of some concern, the war that raged n�ne years had finally ended.

Cargo cons�gnments tr�ckled �n from March through August: �ron manufactures, sp�ces, text�les, w�ne and sp�r�ts, paper, ol�ve o�l, v�negar, and other European commod�t�es packed �n bales, barrels, and chests, were loaded. Bes�des the cargo, Bon�lla was to carry twenty Franc�scan pr�ests dest�ned for the m�ss�ons of Mex�co. The Guadalupe was nearly ready to sa�l.

On August 31, 1749, Bon�lla b�d farewell to Mar�a, h�s w�fe of fifteen years, and h�s five ch�ldren. H�s youngest and namesake was only fifteen months old. Bon�lla owned part of a bu�ld�ng �n Cád�z where he centered h�s bus�ness �nterests, but Mar�a res�ded �n the�r home �n Puerto de Santa Mar�a across the Bay of Cád�z. After a teary goodbye, he ferr�ed across to h�s wa�t�ng sh�p. Here he found Carr�edo shar�ng h�s last moments w�th h�s w�fe Juana, Bon�lla’s s�ster.

Bon�lla was anx�ous to get underway and urged Carr�edo to fin�sh h�s good-byes. V�s�ons of treasure to be loaded at Vera Cruz had already d�splaced those of the fam�ly he had just left. The Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was towed clear of the wharf, ho�sted sa�ls, and passed the fort of Santa Catal�na, wh�ch guarded the harbor mouth of Cád�z. The sh�p buzzed w�th exc�tement. The Franc�scan pr�ests, dressed �n sandals and full-length hab�ts of brown cloth c�nched at the wa�st w�th double-knotted ropes, chatted exc�tedly as they po�nted out landmarks and marveled at the sa�lors as they scampered effortlessly up and down the r�gg�ng. Most had never before been to sea. The real�ty of the�r voyage began to set �n. The Guadalupe crew were dressed more comfortably on th�s summer day. Many were sh�rtless and barefoot, scurry�ng about the deck t�ghten�ng r�gg�ng as the sa�ls filled w�th the Med�terranean breeze. Bon�lla strode the quarterdeck �n ant�c�pat�on. It had been two long and d�fficult years. Everyone on board shared the same v�s�on that lay far away over the blue hor�zon. They were dest�ned for the Vera Cruz, the oldest and r�chest c�ty �n the New World.

The Guadalupe sa�led past the Canary Islands that l�e 150 m�les west of Cape Cant�n on the west coast of Afr�ca to p�ck up the trade w�nds that would propel them across the Atlant�c. Desp�te some bad weather, they succeeded �n cross�ng

18

Treasure Island

the ocean, and on October 18 made a scheduled stop at San Juan, Puerto R�co, to take on water and suppl�es. On the 31st they departed for Vera Cruz.

Th�rty-s�x days later, on December 1, 1749, the Guadalupe was lumber�ng before the w�nd when the lookout spotted the mounta�n beh�nd Vera Cruz, then smoke from the l�me k�lns south of the c�ty. Hear�ng the lookout’s cry, those not already on deck rushed to get the�r first gl�mpse of the fabled c�ty. Soon, the sp�res of the cathedral and the Convent of San Franc�sco came �nto v�ew, followed by the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa and the stone walls that fort�fied the c�ty. Suddenly, a storm blew �n from the north forc�ng Bon�lla to fall off the w�nd and head for Campeche. Before reach�ng the safety of that port, the Guadalupe was caught �n yet another storm on December 3. For two days, the sh�p was dashed about by tower�ng waves. It was so horr�fic that, on the follow�ng day, the crew mut�n�ed and demanded that Bon�lla run the sh�p ashore to save themselves. The pumps could no longer keep up w�th the water and everyone despa�red except one th�rty-s�x-year-old, short, swarthy pr�est w�th black eyes and a scarce beard named Father Junípero Serra. He had rema�ned calm throughout the storms. The pr�ests dec�ded to p�ck a patron sa�nt to ask for del�verance. It be�ng December 4, they chose St. Barbara, as �t was her feast day. In un�son they prayed, “Long l�ve Santa Barbara.” The storm ceased �mmed�ately, the w�nds and seas calmed, and two days later, the Guadalupe arr�ved safely �n the harbor of Vera Cruz.

W�th great rel�ef, Bon�lla ordered Rodr�guez to s�gnal the fort and prepare for a moor�ng. The sh�p’s boat was read�ed wh�le the crew began to furl the sa�ls, br�ng�ng the sh�p �nto the lee of the fort. From the rampart, the Guadalupe’s s�gnal was acknowledged and men poured from the gate onto the land�ng to rece�ve the cables from the bow of the Guadalupe. The boat was lowered and the cable ends were placed on board, the men rowed to the land�ng, handed the cable end to fortress personnel, who then fed the l�nes through the bronze moor�ng r�ngs anchored �n the stone walls. Th�s done, the cables were passed back to the bow of the galleon and secured.

Bon�lla entered the fort and �nformed the offic�als of h�s �ntent�on to unload. Then he was rowed across the harbor to the mole. Alongs�de was the seventy-gun warsh�p, La Reyna, load�ng suppl�es, cargo, and treasure. After d�sembark�ng from the launch, the confident capta�n strode through the gate oppos�te the mole and entered the aduana, or customs house. Here he made arrangements to br�ng the Guadalupe over to unload.

19

P�eces of E�ght

Once secured to the mole, the long-awa�ted cargo was qu�ckly unloaded and d�str�buted to eager merchants who would, �n turn, convert the�r sh�pments �nto t�dy profits. The Guadalupe’s passengers, wh�ch �ncluded the Franc�scan pr�ests, entered the gated c�ty.

The pr�ests walked to the Convento de San Franc�sco just �ns�de the gate across the street from the customs house where they would rest before the�r overland journey to Mex�co C�ty. In order to fulfill the�r vows to St. Barbara made days before, Father Serra held a solemn celebrat�on �n her honor. He preached and gave everyone a deta�led account of the voyage and the�r m�raculous del�verance.

Departure day marked the beg�nn�ng of a h�stor�c journey for Father Serra. He shunned the use of a horse for h�s travel. He �nstead chose to walk the 180 m�les w�th another pr�est to the shr�ne of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Th�s was the start of the journey for Father Serra who, �n 1769, would establ�sh the Span�sh m�ss�on churches along the Cal�forn�a coast, wh�ch �ncluded San D�ego and San Franc�sco.

After meet�ng w�th the treasury offic�als, Bon�lla walked to the plaza, the center of c�ty l�fe. S�tuated two blocks from the mole, �t was bordered by the governor’s house on the east, on the south by the cathedral, also known as the Iglesia Mayor, and on the other two s�des by arcaded shops, markets, board�nghouses, and a new hotel that was about to beg�n construct�on. The sp�re of the cathedral stood above all of the other rooftops. The governor’s house was a two-story baroque-style bu�ld�ng that covered an ent�re block and shared space w�th the cabildo, the town counc�l. The governor’s house had �ts own courtyard and watchtower, wh�ch enabled the governor to keep an eye on the galleons �n the harbor. It had a flat roof and wh�tewashed stone and stucco exter�or, as d�d most bu�ld�ngs �n Vera Cruz. The roof prov�ded a clear v�ew of the harbor and often a refresh�ng breeze. L�ke the shops, �t was fash�oned w�th archways and covered porches on both floors surround�ng the ent�re bu�ld�ng. Th�s allowed for cool�ng �n the trop�cal sun and kept the ra�n from the doors and w�ndows.

Vera Cruz had as many hosp�tals as churches because of the ever-present trop�cal d�seases. There was the Hosp�tal Real, called San Juan de Montesclaros, run by the pr�ests of San H�pol�to, and hosp�tals run by the Bethlem�tes and the Order of San Juan de D�os.

Vera Cruz’s new governor, Don D�ego de Peñalosa, had taken office only months before, on August 13, 1749. Bon�lla was �ntent on meet�ng h�m and

20

Treasure Island

purchas�ng a few favors.Governor Peñalosa del�vered some d�re news: dur�ng the prev�ous summer

there had been an ep�dem�c of the vomito negro, or yellow fever, that had ravaged the c�ty, k�ll�ng many. Buzzards could st�ll be seen perched on rooftops stand�ng v�g�l, hop�ng to capture the smell of death. Fore�gners were part�cularly suscept�ble to th�s d�sease as ev�denced by the devastat�on aboard the warsh�p Reyna under the Conde de la Gomera that had been �n the harbor s�nce July 29. The ep�dem�c had �nvaded the c�ty, so the horr�fied crew rema�ned aboard wa�t�ng for the ant�c�pated treasure sh�pments. In sp�te of the�r best precaut�ons, some of the men became �nfected, spew�ng black vom�t that spread the d�sease throughout the crew and they were forced ashore �nto crowded and understaffed hosp�tals. By the t�me the ep�dem�c ended �n September, nearly all of the crew had d�ed. The Reyna had to rema�n �n port wa�t�ng for crew replacements and treasure sh�pments.

The treasure storerooms �n Vera Cruz had been empt�ed just pr�or to the arr�val of the Reyna by the warsh�ps La Galga and El Fuerte, under the command of Don Dan�el Huony, and other sh�ps that had arr�ved earl�er w�th Adm�ral Don Juan de Eques’ mercury fleet. Nearly s�x m�ll�on �n s�lver p�eces of e�ght and other valuables had already been sh�pped out, roughly half of 1749’s output of the m�nt at Mex�co C�ty.

In late December, La Reyna set sa�l w�th cargo valued at nearly four m�ll�on p�eces of e�ght. Some last �tems put on board were two g�fts for the Queen �n Madr�d. One was a portra�t of the Our Lady of Guadalupe �n a gold frame w�th emeralds and rub�es. The other was a figure �n the shape of a pel�can w�th gold �ncrustat�ons. It was only after La Reyna had sa�led that Bon�lla could make arrangements to rece�ve any treasure on the Guadalupe.

The departure of La Reyna d�d l�ttle to allev�ate the demand for s�lver. There were other sh�ps at Vera Cruz, and more on the�r way. The Nuestra Señora de los Godos, Capta�n Pedro Pumarejo, arr�ved shortly after La Reyna’s departure. Bon�lla had last seen h�m �n Cád�z just before he left. Don Joseph de Respald�za was or�g�nally to sa�l back to Spa�n on h�s sh�p the San Antonio de Padua y Nuestra Señora del Rosario al�as La Bella Sara. Th�s sh�p sank �n a storm on January 19, 1750, at the l�me k�lns just south of Vera Cruz, and Respald�za was forced to buy another sh�p for the return journey. He purchased the br�g, Nuestra Señora de Soledad y San Francisco Javier, wh�ch had arr�ved �n Mex�co from Maraca�bo, Venezuela, w�th a cargo of cacao. Respald�za was also �n l�ne for treasure. W�th

21

P�eces of E�ght

the compet�t�on for s�lver heat�ng up, Bon�lla was grateful that he had left Spa�n ahead of the others.

Governor Peñalosa went on to tell Bon�lla that he should expect delays load�ng h�s return cargo of s�lver and coch�neal because there had been a drought earl�er �n the year, followed by storms and hurr�canes and then an earthquake �n Guadalajara. Peñalosa also compla�ned that smuggl�ng was st�ll rampant and hard to control, but he had h�s port offic�als watch�ng the coast. Smuggl�ng was not just a game for small-t�me harbor rats. Galleon capta�ns tested the k�ng’s tax collectors as well. When unreg�stered cargo was d�scovered, a weak excuse would be made, the taxes collected, and the capta�n was free to go. But �f the capta�n was successful �n conceal�ng h�s booty, he would reap the financ�al reward of some fifteen percent �n avo�ded taxes.

Juan Manuel Bon�lla soon found h�mself �n the same s�tuat�on as the Reyna crew. In January, he fell �ll and was confined to bed �n town. He delegated author�ty to h�s brother-�n-law. He would occas�onally look from h�s w�ndow to gl�mpse the act�v�ty of the c�ty where he would often see a vulture or two wheel�ng overhead. He prayed to St. Franc�s for the return of h�s health and tr�ed to blot from memory the v�s�on of the hungry raptors.

W�nter turned to spr�ng, br�ng�ng the trop�cal heat and hum�d�ty, wh�ch would not only jeopard�ze the health of h�s crew but also h�s cargo of coch�neal. Before long, �t would rot �n the sacks that were stored �n the damp hold of the Guadalupe. The dye alone was worth nearly a quarter m�ll�on p�eces of e�ght.

By the end of May, the Guadalupe was loaded and ready to depart, r�d�ng at her moor at the fort. Bon�lla, st�ll weak and on the mend, was rowed back across the harbor to the mole where he d�sembarked and passed through the gate. Two blocks away, he approached the guard at the entrance to the governor’s house and after be�ng granted an aud�ence, he learned from Governor Peñalosa that the treasury offic�als had released h�s sh�p and that he could leave �n the morn�ng, assum�ng a favorable w�nd. Bon�lla thanked h�m for h�s hosp�tal�ty dur�ng h�s extended stay. Peñalosa was glad to see the pompous merchant go.

After an uneventful voyage, Bon�lla entered the harbor at Havana �n early June. Other sh�ps were arr�v�ng from Mex�co and the Span�sh Ma�n. One was El Salvador, Capta�n Don Juan Cruañes, loaded w�th cocoa, s�xteen chests of s�lver and four chests of gold co�ns valued at 140,000 pesos. Another sh�p, San Pedro, a Portuguese vessel l�censed to sa�l w�th the Span�sh under Capta�n John Kelly, had

22

Treasure Island

also arr�ved carry�ng s�lver co�ns, doubloons, s�lverware, jewelry, two gold bars and th�rteen s�lver bars. Both had come from Cartagena, Columb�a. The Nuestra Señora de los Godos arr�ved from Vera Cruz w�th nearly 600,000 p�eces of e�ght.

Havana was a c�ty that prospered from the galleon trade and tobacco grown �n the surround�ng countrys�de. By 1750, there were nearly 4,000 houses w�th�n �ts stone walls. Leprosy and other d�seases were rampant and the harbor waters smelled of human and an�mal waste.

As soon as Bon�lla had arr�ved, he called on h�s good fr�end, Governor Franc�sco Cag�gal de la Vega. Many years before, he w�tnessed Bon�lla’s marr�age to María Agust�na de Utrera �n Cád�z.

In the harbor, Bon�lla not�ced the warsh�p La Galga mak�ng ready to sa�l for Spa�n. Bon�lla’s or�g�nal plan had been to load at Vera Cruz �n t�me to return w�th a well-armed man-of-war, but h�s delays �n Mex�co cost h�m that opportun�ty. He saw the protect�on he needed �n the fifty-s�x gun La Galga. She had been left beh�nd the prev�ous November when the treasure fleet of General Ben�to Sp�nola cleared for Spa�n. Bon�lla made h�s w�shes known to the other capta�ns dest�ned for Spa�n, and together they made a d�rect request to Don Dan�el Huony, capta�n of La Galga, and Lorenzo Montalvo, the port m�n�ster, to have La Galga and the Nuestra Señora de Mercedes, a schooner belong�ng to K�ng Ferd�nand, to escort them back to Spa�n. It was agreed that s�nce the read�ness of La Galga and the Mercedes co�nc�ded w�th the�r departure they would act as escort.

La Galga’s departure had been delayed because Capta�n Huony had orders to sh�p var�ous tobacco products, some of wh�ch had not arr�ved at the warehouse of the Real Compañia. Bon�lla loaded an add�t�onal cargo dur�ng the wa�t: 329 chests of sugar, 240 h�des, and 26 sacks of cacao. Other sh�ppers reg�stered add�t�onal sugar and van�lla.

On July 30, Capta�n Huony wrote to Lorenzo Montalvo, the port m�n�ster, compla�n�ng about the crown’s request to load tons of ast�lla on h�s sh�p. The ast�lla cons�sted of l�ghtwe�ght tobacco stems and leftovers packed loosely �n bags. Huony po�nted out that th�s bulky l�ghtwe�ght cargo was dangerous for h�m to carry, as he d�d not have much �n the way of heavy cargo to ballast h�s sh�p. The mahogany planks he was carry�ng were h�s heav�est fre�ght. Montalvo agreed and adv�sed Governor Caj�gal de la Vega on August 2 to hold the ast�lla for another sh�p. Hav�ng no �mmed�ate answer from Bon�lla’s old fr�end, the governor, Huony pleaded h�s case d�rectly to h�m on August 5. H�s departure date was moved back.

23

P�eces of E�ght

Bon�lla became extremely �mpat�ent. He was grow�ng more and more concerned about hurr�canes. H�s brush w�th death �n the storms off of Vera Cruz the prev�ous December was st�ll v�v�d �n h�s m�nd. Huony was equally concerned and was contemplat�ng shorten�ng h�s masts to accommodate the unsafe load.

Bon�lla, seek�ng to exped�te the matter, agreed to take on twenty-n�ne tons of the ast�lla, thus settl�ng the d�spute between Huony and the Real Compañia. On August 13, the governor adv�sed the crown that the tobacco had been loaded, although the Real Compañia had exceeded �ts author�ty �n the matter. La Galga had not fin�shed pack�ng her holds. By August 16, the reg�ster for the Guadalupe was closed. Bon�lla was ready for departure, but Huony was not. Huony had other problems, as he had been try�ng to find su�table crew. To supplement h�s Mex�can recru�ts, nearly fifty Engl�sh pr�soners were hauled out of the Havana dungeons and put on board.

An Engl�sh pr�soner named Capta�n Thomas Wr�ght, who rout�nely traded w�th the Span�sh, had been charged w�th the theft of some tobacco and was taken on board the Guadalupe to face a court back �n Spa�n.

The next day, La Galga’s reg�ster was closed. Bon�lla began to relax. Four more sh�ps had now jo�ned Bonilla: the Nuestra Señora de los Godos, the San Pedro, El Salvador, and the Nuestra Señora de Soledad. The fleet would be gett�ng underway �n the morn�ng.

On August 18, the fleet cleared the harbor entrance at Morro Castle and w�th l�ttle d�fficulty entered the Stra�ts of Flor�da, known as the Bahama Channel to the Span�sh. The Guadalupe and the other sh�ps �n the convoy were exper�enc�ng a northerly headw�nd. Unbeknownst to them, that northerly breeze came from the western edges of a severe storm system and �t was headed stra�ght for them.

At dawn on August 25, the fleet was northeast of Cape Canaveral, Flor�da: the northerly w�nds �ncreased, s�gnal�ng an approach�ng storm. As the sk�es darkened, Bon�lla ordered h�s topsa�ls taken �n, h�s ma�n reefed, and shrouds t�ghtened �n preparat�on for what was com�ng. By 4 p.m., the w�nd abruptly changed from north to west and then from the south and by 9 p.m., the southeast. He now real�zed that they were �n a full hurr�cane. The fleet struggled to stay together and as they fell off the w�nd, the d�stance between them �ncreased. The eye of the storm hav�ng passed north of them, the fleet was now locked �n place on the northeastern edge of the storm, dr�v�ng w�th the w�nd and the northbound currents.

24

Treasure Island

Bon�lla’s tormented face m�rrored the angry sea. Th�s was an �mportant voyage. It was h�s first sh�pment of treasure that he was able to transport s�nce he lost Nuestra Señora de los Remedios to the Engl�sh pr�vateers �n 1747. But then �f he was dead, los�ng h�s treasure would be of no consequence. He prayed to St. Franc�s and the V�rg�n Mary for del�verance, rem�nded of St. Barbara’s �ntervent�on on her feast day when he was blown off Vera Cruz the year before. On th�s tr�p, however, he wasn’t carry�ng a flock of Franc�scan pr�ests.

As the southeast w�nds and Gulf Stream currents cont�nued propell�ng them north toward the Carol�na coast, the d�stance between the sh�ps �ncreased.

Bon�lla huddled �n h�s cab�n and barked out orders to h�s boatswa�n, Pedro Rodr�guez. The pumps were constantly manned. As great waves washed over the decks, several crewmen were swept away.

La Galga and the Mercedes were now north and east of h�m. The Guadalupe’s m�zzen mast broke on the 26th, wh�ch allowed her to r�de eas�er �n the follow�ng seas.

The w�nd had already r�pped away all of her topmasts. She cont�nued �n th�s state unt�l the 28th, when Bon�lla s�ghted a sh�p northwest of h�m. He recogn�zed her as Los Godos. Bon�lla s�gnaled a change �n course and the two sh�ps turned southwest as he knew he was be�ng dr�ven towards the shoals of Cape Hatteras, North Carol�na. Los Godos soon van�shed �n the darkness.

As the eye of the storm passed close by, the w�nds �ncreased and sh�fted easterly, push�ng the wallow�ng galleon closer to land. To slow the sh�p down, Bon�lla ordered the ma�n top mast cut down. No sooner was that done, than a huge follow�ng sea slammed her stern and broke the rudder. She was now totally out of control. Sound�ngs were taken to measure the approach of the coastl�ne. Bon�lla’s only hope was to get some anchors over �n shallower water, but the t�m�ng of th�s maneuver was cr�t�cal. If anyth�ng went wrong now, h�s sh�p was guaranteed to be dr�ven �nto the deadly shoals of Cape Hatteras and all would be lost.

M�raculously, La Galga, Los Godos, the Mercedes, and the San Pedro cleared Cape Hatteras Shoals and cont�nued northward. But the fate of the Nuestra Señora de Soledad and El Salvador was sealed. The n�ght before, on August 29, they were both thrown aga�nst Cape Lookout.

At dawn, August 30, Bon�lla sounded twenty brazas of water and real�zed that the coast was nearby. He was unaware of the fate of the Soledad and El Salvador. All day, the w�nds cont�nued to dr�ve h�m toward shore. At 6 p.m., Bon�lla dropped

25

P�eces of E�ght

h�s two largest anchors three m�les off the shore of Core Banks, south of Ocracoke Inlet, North Carol�na. The p�lot est�mated that they were at lat�tude 35°. He knew that he was �n the v�c�n�ty of Cape Hatteras and �n Engl�sh terr�tory.

The Guadalupe was �n a shattered cond�t�on; the only t�mber stand�ng was the base of her fore and ma�n masts. The men were at all four pumps desperately try�ng to keep her afloat. The sh�p stra�ned at her anchor cables; they were all that kept them between safety and d�saster.

Dur�ng th�s t�me, Los Godos and San Pedro met up w�th each other off Cape Henry, V�rg�n�a, and encountered a th�rd vessel, La Marianna, a Span�sh sloop sa�l�ng from Campeche to Santo Dom�ngo that had been swept out of the Car�bbean. The three of them arr�ved safely at Hampton, V�rg�n�a, and anchored off the mouth of Hampton R�ver on September 5. That same day, La Galga, wh�ch had m�ssed the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, drove ashore on Assateague Island at the border between Maryland and V�rg�n�a. The Mercedes ran aground s�x leagues north of Cape Charles, V�rg�n�a, the northern cape at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.

The crew of the Guadalupe had endured five days of terror as they were dr�ven from the�r �ntended course. Although Bon�lla had lost several men overboard �n the storm, h�s sh�p and treasure were safe for the moment.

W�th no rudder and no masts, the Guadalupe rode hard at her two anchors and wa�ted for the w�nd to d�e down. Bon�lla ret�red to h�s cab�n w�th Carr�edo and Pedro Manuel de Ortega, h�s p�lot.

Meanwh�le, �n Hampton, V�rg�n�a, a sloop was prepar�ng to depart for the West Ind�es. On board would be two brothers who would soon be welcomed as sav�ors by Bon�lla. That warm welcome would become a gesture he would later regret.

310

Treasure Island

Epilogue

n August 18, 1750, six Spanish ships and one Portuguese cleared Havana harbor for Cadiz, Spain. This little fleet had been assembled from ships that had been delayed in their arrival at Havana after having

missed the treasure convoy which had departed earlier that year. The fleet’s sailing day was met with additional fateful delays because of weather, cargos, crews, and administrative decisions that would synchronize the fleet’s ultimate departure with the approach of a West Indian hurricane. That cyclone was aimed at their intended course up the Straits of Florida. A change in departure by only hours would have totally changed the projected outcome. Unlike other treasure fleets before and after them that had met their end at the hand of Mother Nature, impaled on tropical reefs to be salvaged later by modern man, two of these ships were carrying a cargo of not only doubloons and pieces of eight but history that only now can be weighed and understood.

From this fateful encounter with the hurricane at the precise intersection needed to effect the intended outcome, two classics in children’s literature owe their existence to this incredible rendezvous. The first, Misty of Chincoteague, is a story for girls about a wild horse which legend says descended from those that swam ashore from the shipwreck of La Galga, the warship that was acting as escort for the fleet. Misty was written in 1947 by Marguerite Henry and was made into a movie in 1961. Millions of people visit Assateague Island each year to see the horses which still run wild there today.

Treasure Island, a story for boys, owes its genesis to the fate of the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, a ship that should have perished the year before her historic voyage. She survived and arrived the following year at Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina, her appointed destination. Days later, a sloop left Hampton, Virginia, bound for the Caribbean on a course that would take her well off the coast of

311

North Carolina. As if on cue, the sloop sprung a leak and diverted for Ocracoke. On board was a man named Owen Lloyd whose own vicissitudes had prepared him for the fateful meeting that was about to take place. Then, a fabulous treasure was stolen and buried on a deserted Caribbean island.

The rest is history.

Epilogue