Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

having only two small holes for their eyes; so
that they are never known. Their backs are
bare, and they lash themselves with a cat-o-
nine-tails, till the long train behind is covered
all over with blood. Others follow them with
great heavy crosses upon their backs; so that
they groan under the weight as they walk
barefooted, and often faint away. The streets
swarm with friars of all the different orders.
The president has always a guard at his pa¬
lace, regularly clothed. The rest of their
forces consists of militia, who are numerous.
All European goods are very dear. Eng¬
lish cloth, of fourteen or fifteen shillings a
yard, sells there for ten or eleven dollars; and
every other article in proportion. We found
many Spaniards here that had been taken by
Commodore Anson, and had been for some
time prisoners on board the Centurion. They
all spoke in the highest terms of the kind
treatment they had received; and it is natu¬
ral to imagine, that it was chiefly owing to
that laudable example of humanity, our re¬
ception here was so good. They had never
had anything but privateers and buccaneers
amongst them before, who handled their
prisoners very roughly; so that the Spa-