372 
Account of 
water: they returned about 5 p. m., seemed very cheerful 
and animated, and began singing on the forecastle. Mr. 
Hoy and Mr. Taw had retired to tea, leaving two of the 
military on the quarter-deck. A few minutes afterwards 
one of the soldiers and a prisoner came to the skylight 
over the cabin, and asked permission to take the small 
boat to a point or rock about two hundred yards off, for 
the purpose of fishing. Two of the soldiers and one 
prisoner were allowed to go in the boat, the other two 
soldiers to remain on deck. Orders were given that two 
of the military should always remain on deck, who, 
although without their arms, were to have them constantly 
at hand. 
It appears that the prisoners decoyed the two soldiers 
to the forecastle, secured them, and threatened to take 
their lives if they offered to make a noise. Some of them 
then went below into the steerage, and obtained posses¬ 
sion of the arms and ammunition belonging to the military. 
Having thus succeeded without noise, or disturbing the 
officers in the cabin, two of them rushed in, one of whom 
named Shires held a pistol to Mr. Hoy's face, swearing 
he w r oulxl shoot him if he dared to make the least resist¬ 
ance. Mr. Hoy turned the pistol aside, and endeavoured 
in a scuffle to obtain possession of it: he did not succeed, 
but Shires went on deck. In the meantime Mr. Taw was 
scuffling with the other ruffian (Leslie), who, like his 
companion Shires, ran on deck. Mr. Hoy, suspecting 
the military were confined in the steerage, broke through 
the partition, but found there neither men nor arms. 
The mutineers were now using the most threatening 
language, to induce them to come on deck, informing 
them that they had secured the military and their arms. 
Mr. Hoy in vain attempted to remonstrate with them, 
urging them to return to their duty, and promising in 
that case that the matter should not be brought forward. 
