y about
a dozen Europeans had anchored off Alata on the south-east coast and had
engaged in barter with the natives who were on board in great numbers,
and who taking the opportunity of 5 men being on shore...attacked and
killed the people on the brig as well as those in the boat when they
returned." Earl, who translated Kolff's journal, says that "the natives
received not the slightest reproof from Lieutenant Kolff for this
outrage."

Fourteen years afterwards, when Captain Gordon Bremer was acting as
commandant at Port Essington,* (* Melville Island was abandoned in 1829
for Port Essington.) Captain Thomas Watson arrived there in the schooner
Essington, bearing the news that Mr. Volshawn, master of a small trading
vessel flying the Dutch flag, had seen an English sailor on the island of
Timor Laut when he visited it in February of the previous year.* (*
Captain Watson's journal is preserved at the Admiralty.) The Englishman
was kept captive at a native village on the south-eastern side of the
island, and stated that he had belonged to the Stedcombe. Mr. Volshawn
also declared that he had seen there articles which had been taken from
the Stedcombe.

Captain Watson decided to try and rescue his countryman, and on March
31st, 1839, when off Timor Laut he stood in for the island. The plan he
proposed to adopt in order to carry out the rescue was to entice a chief
or Orang Kaire on board and hold him as a hostage until the English
sailor was produced. As his ship came in shore three canoes under Dutch
colours put out to meet him with twelve to thirteen men in each. In
answer to Captain Watson's inquiries whether there was a white man on the
island some of the natives replied, "Certo; Engrise; Louron," which was
translated as meaning that there was an Englishman at Louron.* (*
Lourang.) Other canoes came alongside the Essington, whose crew had been
put under arms, and an Orang Kaire was allowed to come on board. Captain
Watson writes: "Now was the time for carrying my plans into effect...and
I told the Orang Kaire if he would bring him (the captive) to me I would
give him a quantity of trade which was shown him." To this the chief
agreed. But as no great faith was placed in his assertion, Watson then
told him that he must send his canoes and fetch the Englishman, when he
would receive his reward, but if they did not bring his prisoner he would
be hung from the yard-arm, and that "we should fire our great guns on the
villa