Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/72

6 by Mr. J. Parker, first lieutenant; Mr. Russel, second lieutenant; Mr. Brown, whaling-master; and Mr. Williams, officer of marines. The boats represented to the inhabitants that the Port au Prince was an American, whilst they received information in return, that there were two English whalers in the bay, exactly as was stated by the Earl St. Vincent. The boats waited till dusk, and then proceeded from the island to Conception, being well assured by Thomas Turner that there were no guns mounted there, nor any batteries; and of this he was fully convinced, he said, having formerly been on shore there. The weather, unfortunately, was now calm, which circumstance prevented the Port au Prince from getting into the bay to assist the boats. They, however, very well succeeded, the night being dark, in boarding one of the whalers (the Albion), and having secured the Spaniards and cut the cables, towed her about a quarter of a mile, the calm rendering her sails quite useless: and no doubt they would have succeeded in towing her quite clear of the forts, for such there were, notwithstanding Turner's account, had it not been for an accident, occasioned by this unfortunate man. He was employed steering one of the boats, when happening to look to the priming of his pistols, one of them unluckily went off: this alarming the sentinels on shore,