ts of the men never for
a moment seemed to flag. True 'hearts of oak,' their courage increased
with their difficulties, and the prevailing desire amongst them was,
to rush upon the enemy and get possession of their boats, or perish in
the attempt.

But for this day, at least, they were ordered to remain passive;
perhaps in coming to this decision, the wise and brave commander of
the party may have remembered another captain who was 'in a great
strait,' and who said, 'Let us fall now into the hands of the Lord,
for His mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man,'
The decision, then, was to wait; and the hours rolled on till
afternoon, when an officer ascended one of the loftiest trees, and
thence he thought he descried a sail at a great distance. The joyful
news seemed too good to be true.

A signal-man was sent up with a telescope, to sweep the horizon. The
eager and intense anxiety that pervaded the little band, until he
could report his observations, may be better imagined than described.
At last, he announced that the object was indeed a brig, or a ship,
standing towards the island under all sail. The joy was unbounded and
overpowering. Men felt as if awaking from some horrible dream; and,
doubtless, many an honest heart was uplifted in thankfulness to the
Almighty, for the mercy vouchsafed in delivering them from what had
appeared, a few minutes before, to be certain destruction.

There remains little more to be told; the vessel proved to be the
Ternate, which Lord Amherst had sent to their assistance. The pirates
took to flight as soon as they discovered the ship, but not before
they had received a volley from the Alceste's people, unfortunately
without effect.

It was not till Friday, the 7th of March, that all were embarked on
board the Ternate. They arrived safely at Batavia on the 9th, and were
most kindly received by Lord Amherst, who converted his table into a
general mess for the officers, as well as the embassy; comfortable
quarters were also provided for the men; and in their present
enjoyment they all soon forgot the hardships they had suffered.

In conclusion, we will quote the following passage from the pen of Mr.
M'Leod:--'It is a tribute due to Captain Maxwell to state (and it is a
tribute which all will most cheerfully pay) that, by his judicious
arrangements, we were preserved from all the horrors of anarchy and
confusion. His measures inspired confidence and hope, while his