quas and made sail, while the remainder
were confused, trembling, and panting, all huddled together, on the
beach.

"You'll never take that fort, Mynheer Vanderdecken," screamed the
well-known voice.

Philip raised his sword to cleave the little man in two, but he let it
fall again. "I fear he tells an unwelcome truth," thought Philip; "but
why should I take his life for that?"

Some few of the Ternate chiefs still kept up their courage, but the
major part were as much alarmed as their people. After some
consultation, it was agreed that the army should remain where it was
till the next morning, when they should finally decide what to do.

When the day dawned, now that the Portuguese fort was no longer
surrounded by the other buildings, they perceived that it was more
formidable than they had at first supposed. The ramparts were filled
with men, and they were bringing cannon to bear on the Ternate forces.
Philip had a consultation with Krantz, and both acknowledged, that, with
the present panic, nothing more could be done. The chiefs were of the
same opinion, and orders were given for the return of the expedition,
indeed, the Ternate chiefs were fully satisfied with their success; they
had destroyed the large fort, the factory, and all the Portuguese
buildings; a small fortification only was uninjured; that was built of
stone, and inaccessible, and they knew that the report of what had been
done would be taken and acknowledged by the king as a great victory.
The order was therefore given for embarkation, and in two hours the
whole fleet, after a loss of about seven hundred men, was again on its
way to Ternate. Krantz and Philip this time embarked in the same
peroqua, that they might have the pleasure of each other's conversation.
They had not, however, sailed above three hours when it fell calm, and,
towards the evening, there was every prospect of bad weather. When the
breeze again sprung up, it was from an adverse quarter, but these
vessels steer so close to the wind, that this was disregarded: by
midnight however the wind had increased to a gale, and before they were
clear of the N.E. headland of Tidore, it blew a hurricane and many were
washed off into the sea from the different craft, and those who could
not swim, sank, and were drowned. The sails were lowered, and the
vessels lay at the mercy of the wind and waves, every sea washing over
them. The fleet was drifting fast on the shore, and before morning