wall to defend them from the natives. They spoke in Dutch,
and stated that their ancestors, among whom were twelve females, came
from a distant land; that their vessel was broken; that they travelled
far towards the rising sun; that many died by fatigue, and the rest
settled on that spot--a beautiful valley, on the borders of a lake. A
full description of their habits and customs was given in the _Leeds
Mercury_, but which can have no interest to such as disbelieve their
existence.[182]

The _Young Lachlan_, a vessel the property of Capt. Howard, was seized
at the Derwent, by sixteen prisoners (1819). The sails were bent; the
rudder was on board: she was freighted and provisioned for a voyage to
Port Jackson. She lay outside the cove, and was to drop down the river
on the morrow. The four seamen were surprised, and shut down below: the
darkness of the night and a strong wind favored their escape; passing
the battery, unseen by the guard. At daybreak the pilot boat, with, a
party of the 48th regiment, gave chase: a sloop, the property of Mr.
Birch, with another detachment, followed. The boat found the seamen on
Brune Island, but both vessels returned without any other success.

Arrived on the coast of Java, the robbers destroyed the vessel by fire.
They then presented themselves to the authorities as shipwrecked
mariners: their story was believed; but at length they were suspected of
piracy, and imprisoned. Some of them confessed: all, except five, died
at Batavia, to which place they were transmitted, and the survivors were
conveyed to this colony by the _St. Michael_. The _Young Lachlan_ not
being on the high seas their offence was not piracy: they were therefore
charged with stealing only. Their punishment was necessary, but who
could forget their temptation?

One of the more common methods of elopement was to hide in the hold of a
ship, often with the connivance of the sailors, until the vessel had
cleared. Scarcely did a ship quit the coast during the first years of
the colony, without discovering, mostly too soon for the culprits, their
concealment. Sometimes, to stir them from their stowage, the vessel was
fumigated. Ships calling at Van Diemen's Land often delivered up
absconders, found after they had weighed anchor.

When secreted runaways were enabled to avoid detection until the ship
had advanced far on her voyage, they were conveyed to England, and
usually surrendered to the authorities. A soldier, on loo