They stay'd not long here, after they had clean'd their Ships, but sailing to _Juanna_; they met two _English_, and one _Ostend India_ Men, coming out of that Harbour, one of which, after a desperate Resistance, they took; the Particulars of which Action is at length related in the following Letter, wrote by the Captain from _Bombay_.
A LETTER from Captain _Mackra_, dated at _Bombay, Nov._ 16, 1720.
W_E arrived the_ 25_th of_ July _last, in Company of the_ Greenwich, _at_ Juanna, (_an Island not far from_ Madagascar) _putting in there to refresh our Men, we found fourteen Pyrates that came in their Canoes from the_ Mayotta, _where the Pyrate Ship to which they belong'd_, viz. _the_ Indian Queen, _two hundred and fifty Tons, twenty eight Guns, and ninety Men, commanded by Capt._ Oliver de la Bouche, _bound from the_ Guinea _Coast to the_ East-Indies, _had been bulged and lost. They said they left the Captain and_ 40 _of their Men building a new Vessel to proceed on their wicked Design. Capt._ Kirby _and I concluding it might be of great Service to the_ East-India _Company to destroy such a Nest of Rogues, were ready to sail for that Purpose the_ 17_th of_ August, _about Eight o'Clock in the Morning, when we discovered two Pyrate Ships standing into the Bay of_ Juanna, _one of thirty four, and the other of thirty Guns. I immediately went on Board the_ Greenwich, _where they seem'd very diligent in Preparations for an Engagement, and I left Capt._ Kirby _with mutual Promises of standing by each other. I then unmoor'd, got under Sail, and brought two Boats a-head to row me close to the_ Greenwich; _but he being open to a Valley and a Breeze, made the best of his Way from me; which an_ Ostender _in our Company, of_ 22 _Guns, seeing, did the same, though the Captain had promised heartily to engage with us, and I believe would have been as good as his Word, if Capt._ Kirby _had kept his. About half an Hour after Twelve, I called several times to the_ Greenwich _to bear down to our Assistance, and fir'd Shot at him, but to no Purpose. For tho' we did not doubt but he would join us, because when he got about a League from us, he brought his Ship to, and look'd on, yet both he and the_ Ostender _basely deserted us, and left us engaged with barbarous and inhuman Enemies, with their black and bloody Flags hanging over us, without the least Appearance of escaping being cut to Pieces. But God, in his good Providence, determin'd otherwise; for notwithstanding their Superiority, we engaged 'em both about three Hours, during which, the biggest received some Shot betwixt Wind and Water, which made her keep off a little to stop her Leaks. The other endeavoured all she could to board us, by rowing with her Oars, being within half a Ship's Length of us above an Hour; but by good Fortune we shot all her Oars to Pieces, which prevented them, and by consequence saved our Lives_.