38S A VOYAGE TO BookIX. 



he left inftrudions with the commandant, that if he 

 found it abfolutely neceflary to capitulate, he fhould 

 v/ith all his men, pafs over to the fort, ^fter nailing 

 up the artillery, fo as to render it unferviceable to 

 the enemy. But the poltroon commandant of t!ae 

 battery availed himfelf of this inftru6lion to haften his 

 retreat : and, without Itaying till he had tried the fuc- 

 cefs of his cannon on the enemy, who continued quiet 

 in their camp ; that very fame night embarked his 

 men, and made over to the fort in a hurry, on pre- 

 tence that the enemy had made an aflault on the bat- 

 tery with a large force. But the falfity of this p)ea 

 was foon difcovered, the French flag flying for fome 

 time after ; an evident fign that there was no perfon 

 in the fort to lower it : which could not have been the 

 cafe had the Englifh made the pretended attack. 



The enemy obferving from their camp, that no 

 perfon appeared as ufual on the parapet of the royal 

 battery, concluded that the garrifon were employed on 

 fbme fecret attempt, or on fome works within the 

 fort, and therefore did not make any approaches, till 

 queftioning whether the French might not privately 

 have abandoned it, a Bofton Indian (for the Englifh 

 army was a medley of various kinds of people) lefs 

 fearful than the others, offered to clear up the diffi- 

 culty. Accordingly without any arms, as if dif- 

 ordered in his fenfes, he went in a rambling manner 

 towards the gate : where, forfaken as it was, he had 

 no great difficulty of getting into the fort; and im- 

 mediately gave notice of its condition by lowering the 

 French flag. On this fignal the Englifh army advan- 

 ced with great alacrity to take poffeffion ; and the 

 artillery not having been well nailed up, was made fit 

 for fervice ; and proved a very great detriment to the 

 town, which it battered in flank. 



All the guns of the royal battery were from 36 to 

 40 pounders, the Vigilante alfo carried fome of the ' 

 fame fize j ail which the Englifh, on being mafters of 



this 



