d my suggestion been acted upon, there would have been an end of the
mutiny at the Nore. Returning on board I found that every arrangement
had been made, and the _Clyde_ being the inshore ship, was to move
first, which she did, and ran under the batteries; when, either from
incompetency or fear, our pilot refused to take charge of the ship, and
the tide being on the turn to ebb, Sir Harry Neale thought it advisable
to wait for a more favourable opportunity. In the meantime we were
visited by the delegates of some of the leading ships, who abused our
crew for permitting the _Clyde_ to escape without our firing upon her.
So incensed did the men become at this, that one of the quartermasters,
John Ainslie, came aft, and asked the first lieutenant whether they
might not throw the blackguards overboard, which, I doubt not, a nod of
assent would have effected.

"The mutineers now gave orders to our crew to place the frigate between
the _Inflexible_ and _Director_, to send our gunpowder on board the
_Sandwich_, Admiral Parker as he was called, and to unbend our sails,
with which orders our people agreed to comply. Sir Harry was
immediately acquainted with the circumstances, and he at once arranged
that the ship, instead of doing so, should run into Sheerness. When all
was prepared, with springs to our cables to cast inshore, and we were
ready to cut, in heaving the spring broke, and we cast outward. Sir
Harry, whose presence of mind never forsook him, on this directed the
quartermaster to take the command and he would dictate to him. All was
sheeted home in a moment, and we stood in between the two line-of-battle
ships, which had their guns double-shotted, their crews being all ready
with lanyards in hand to fire upon us. The ship by that time had got
good way, when Sir Harry gave the order to let fly all the sheets, which
took the mutineers by surprise, and supposing that the ship was coming
to an anchor, they did not fire. Sir Harry then ordered the helm to be
put hard a-port, which caused the ship to shoot ahead of the
_Inflexible_. He now came on deck and took the command, crying out to
the ship's company, `Well done, my lads!' when a loud murmur of applause
was heard fore and aft; but we had no time to cheer. `Now, clear away
the bulkheads, and mount the guns,' he cried. By this time the whole
fleet of 82 sail had opened their fire upon us. The shot fell like
hail, but, whether intentionally or not, few struck