446 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



party of the officers, wJio had 

 been previously wading outwards, 

 and the whole, instantly getting 

 under weigh, made sail oif, fired 

 at by our people, but unfortu- 

 nately without effect ; for, in ad- 

 dition to the dexterous manage- 

 ment of their boats, the wind en- 

 abled them to >.veather the rocks. 

 It was fortunate, however, this at- 

 tack on them took place, and that it 

 had the effectof drivingthem away : 

 for had they stood their ground, we 

 were as much in their power as 

 ever, the ship being obliged to 

 anchor eight miles to leeward of 

 the island, and eleven or twelve 

 from our position, on account of 

 the wind and current ; and, as this 

 wind and current continued the 

 same for some time afterwards, 

 they might, most easily, with their 

 force, have cut off all communi- 

 cation between us. Indeed it was 

 a most providential and extraor- 

 dinary circumstance, during this 

 moneoon, that the ship was able 

 to fetch up so far as she did. The 

 blockade being now raised, the 

 gig, with INIessis. Sykes and Ab- 

 bot, was despatched to the ship, 

 which proved to be the Ternatc, 

 one of the company's cruisers, sent 

 by Lord Amherst to our assist- 

 ance, having on board Messrs. 

 Ellis and Hoppncr, who embarked 

 on the day of their arrival at 

 Batavia, and pushed back to the 

 island. 



The gig was able to return 

 (being a light boat) ; but our 

 friends, who attempted to pull 

 ashore in the cutter, were com- 

 pelled to put back, after struggling 

 with the current for nine hours, 

 during the night of Monday, and 

 morning of Tuesday the 4th. That 



day was employed in getting all 

 the moveables we had saved from 

 the wreck ready for embarkation. 

 Wednesday the 5th, landed Messrs. 

 Ellis and Hoppner : the recollec- 

 tion of the voluntary promise made 

 by the former at parting, now 

 fulfilled, and re-appearing as a 

 deliverer, added to the many in- 

 teresting and peculiar circumstan- 

 ces of the meeting, gave a new 

 glow to every feeling of friend- 

 ship ; and on entering Fort Max- 

 well, they were received with 

 heartfelt acclamation by the whole 

 garrison under arms. 



This fortification and its inha- 

 bitants had altogether a very sin- 

 gular and romantic look. The 

 wigwams (or dens, as they were 

 called) of some, neatly formed by 

 branches, and thatched with the 

 palm-leaf, scattered about at the 

 feet of the majestic trees, which 

 shaded our circle ; the rude tents 

 of others ; the wrecked, unshaven, 

 ragged appearance of the men, 

 with pikes and cutlasses in their 

 hands, gave, more especially by 

 fire-light at night, a wild and pic- 

 turesque effect to this spot, far 

 beyond any robber-scene the ima- 

 gination can poiirtray. 



Two of the Ternate's boats also 

 arrived with a twelve-pounder 

 carronade, some round and grape, 

 and musket ammunition, in the 

 event of the pirates thinking pro- 

 per to return before we had 

 finished our business j which, 

 from the diflliculty of communica- 

 ting, required the whole of Wed- 

 nesday to perform. 



On Thursday the (5th, the ma- 

 jority of the oflicers and men 

 embarked in the boats (now in- 

 creased in number), and proceeded 



to 



