78 
PORTER’S JOURNAL, 
ducting themselves with propriety, and not absenting themselves 
so that they could not be found; they were in fact admitted o» 
parole, and all restrictions removed. 
This extensive indulgence encouraged them in the hopes of 
making their escape, and headed by Lawson, the mate of the Sir 
Andrew Hammond, they had fixed on the night of the 14th to 
make their attempt, which was to be effected by getting such of 
her crew as remained on board intoxicated with rum mixed with 
laudanum, which was already prepared to administer, and Law- 
son was to attend to this part of the scheme. The third mate, 
with the prisoners on shore were to get possession of the canoes 
on the beach, and with them surprize the ship and take her to 
sea, there being no other vessel ready to follow her, and there be¬ 
ing no powder on board the Essex which would enable her to 
stop them. Such was their plan, and such their expectations. I 
had been informed of it almost as soon as it was planned, was 
willing to humour the scheme, and gave them every opportuni¬ 
ty of making the trial, adopting, at the same time, suitable ffteans 
to have them secured and punished for their perfidy. At the 
time of the formation of this plan, and while Lawson and the others 
were using their greatest exertions to get rum at any price it 
could be obtained for, our rum casks were lying on the gun-deck 
under charge of a centinel, where they had been put while we 
were smoaking the rats; two of the centinels were detected, one 
in conniving and the other in assisting some persons in stealing 
rum. I did not inquire who were those concerned in the theft, 
lest the discovery might make known to the conspirators my 
knowledge of their scheme. I therefore punished the centinels 
severely for not putting them to death, informed the crew gene¬ 
rally of the most absolute necessity for extraordinary vfgilance; 
and told the marines that for the next neglect of duty I should 
punish the offender to the utmost extent of my power, observ¬ 
ing if it was such an offence as merited death, I should without 
hesitation shoot the offender. 
The next evening after going my rounds at the camp to set 
that every thing was right, I went to bed, and at half past ten 
o’clock, not hearing the centinel at the bake-house call out all's 
mll s 1 inquired the cause, and the sergeant of the guard, on ex« 
