Escape of Convicts. 4 1 1 



return to the Great Coco without delay. Eeid told 

 off the men, directed them to go on, and he would 

 follow in a moment. The Burmese took the bamboos 

 and ran down the hill. The Madrassies were follow- 

 ing with the empties, and Keid leisurely bringing up 

 the rear, never suspecting an emeute. I was bathing 

 in my own hut. The Shans and Burmese, directly they 

 got near, gave a haroosh and rushed at the Lascars, 

 whp, instead of pushing off into deep water, jumped 

 overboard ! The two Burmese who remained tried no 

 doubt to push off, but one man got a bad cut over the 

 head ; the other, seeing his comrade's fate, cast his lot 

 in with the mutineers. They seized the boat, jumped 

 into her, and calling out that they were going round 

 to kill me, off they went. The wounded Burman 

 ran over to me, warning me to arm, which I very 

 quickly did. I had four double rifles, a smooth-bore, and 

 a revolver. So giving some of these to the burkan- 

 dazies, to carry, and armed with one, I ran down to the 

 beach, hoping to see the runaways, for I never 

 believed they would have the temerity to attack me ; 

 but they crossed over direct, seized the month's 

 rations which had been sent there but the day before, 

 and taking the two muskets and cartridges, gallantly 

 put to sea and steered for the Tenasserim coast. I was 

 in a precious predicament. The schooner was away. 

 I had no other boat. There was no water fit to drink 

 on Table Island. Now the distance to the main- 

 land was considerable and the boat was not over 

 large, and besides twenty-five breakers of water it 

 had a month's rations for seven men and twenty-six 

 adults. Now Englishmen under similar circum- 

 stances would have been useless ; they could not have 



