Cochrane and the Spanish treasure ship.

[Captain Kiwi]

THE GOLDEN GOOSE.






5734
Cochrane seeks the Spanish payroll ships.





5735
Seeks a port for news and provisions.




5736

Enters the port




5737

The wind changes to East.




5738
The Spanish ships are forced to move away from the coast by the wind change.






5740
They sight the port, but not the nature of the ships within.



5739

And are in turn sighted by Corcoran.




5741
Who makes all sail to intersept.



5744
Leaving the harbour with O'Higgins in the van.



5742


Catching the Spanish flat footed.



5748

The Spanish Frigate has to turn to defend the treasure ship.




5749

Corcoran spots the ploy and ignoring the frigate heads out to intercept the treasure ship.



5752
Latauro meanwhile heads for the Frigate.



5753
En passant O'Higgins bow rakes the Frigate.



5755
Meanwhile the Treasure ship in haste to escape misses stays and is taken all aback.



5756
The Frigate with no sea room is forced to luff and follow Cochrane around.



5757
This gives Latauro the perfect opportunity to stern rake Mahonsea with Ball over grape decimating her crew and setting her on fire.



5759
The deck is soon alight.



5760
The blaze quickly spreading to her sails.




5761
Instead of striking, very foolishly Mahonsa's Captain continues to fire on the O'Higgins.



5762
In response Latauro comes about and rakes Mahonsa once more.
This time her colours come tumbling down as all hands take station to deal with the fire, hurling blazing sails overboard and manning the pumps.


5763
O'Higgins now comes up with the San Francisco De Asis which is tilll in the winds eye. Chorcrane gives her a full broadside.



5764
Asis hurridly replys with her forrard battery which does no damage whatever to O'Higgins being badly aimed.



5765
Assis now crosses the stern of O'Higgins in order to gain some headway.




5766
This also gives her chance to do some real damage to the O'Higgins.



5767
As the ships pass Asis also gets the better of the firing from the tops.



5768
However this proves to be her undoing because it allows Latauro to close her only escape route. Out of sea room she ploughs into the cliff face of a small cove.



5769
One last feeble effort manages to drive off the now badly damaged and under crewwd O'Higgins.



5770
Lautoro now anchors off Asis's stern quarter and a musket duel ensues.



5771
O'Higgins gets in one more Broadside before leaving the action.



5773
Latauro now adds to the Spanish misery with her Forrard guns.



5774
Asis replys before the next volley from the fighting tops.



5776
Latauro now concludes matters with a volly from a swivel mounted in the tops taking down the last of the deck crew and officers.


5777
Asis strikes and a jolly boat is despatched from Latauro to assess the damage and seek for treasure in the form of the paybox for all the Spanish garrisons in the Pacific.


5778

A Cochrane's request aid is also sent to help him crew the O'Higgins back to port.

Captain Kiwi.