ABSTRACT
I was not surprised, as suggested in the previous chapter, 1 by orders from His Excellency the Viceroy to delay the departure of the corvettes until the arrival of the Lima convoy, with which we were to sail in company to the port of Cadiz. The loading of bread on board the Atrevida was suspended immediately so that it would not be spoilt by rats and cockroaches, of which there were a great many in both corvettes. For the same reason all the sails were taken ashore, except for the topsails and topgallants, which were to be used for sailing drills and for handling the ship in case the moorings parted. The moorings were, therefore, reinforced with a third mooring laid out to the SW. The authorities ashore were asked not to begin the impressment of seamen, and lastly, the officers on leave were permitted to stay on shore, as the accommodation on board was highly uncomfortable. Furthermore Don José Bustamante and I had decided to sleep on board alternately, to set an example to the junior officers on such an essential element of discipline.
