Page:Tupper family records - 1835.djvu/57

 and Robert Lees,* both very severely; and twenty- seven men wounded, of whom five died in a few days. Mr. Knox, who was shot dead in the second cutter, had, on a former occasion with the Greek bandits, manifested much coolness and courage when unex- pectedly encountered by them with his boat's crew on shore. Mr. Edmonstone, another fine and gallant young man of sixteen, and the only midshipman in the barge, was dreadfully wounded in the chin, the bullet carrying away several of his teeth ; and a ball is said to have pierced the shoulder of Mr. Lees, who was in the first cutter, and to have killed the coxswain behind him. Lieutenants Gordon and Tupper were the first and third of the ship, and the only officers of that rank in the boats. The day of the attack was the sabbath, and on the same day of the week and month, eleven years previously, was fought the battle of Waterloo. Sir John Pechell now resolved to inflict summary punishment for the slaughter of so many of his crew ; two of the misticoes were quickly sunk, and many of the pirates, who for a little time kept up a brisk fusilade on the ship, were killed and wounded by the frigate's guns, their dead bodies and muskets being every wdiere strewed among the rocks. Their fire being silenced, they crowded towards their boats, and attempted to escape by the weather channel ; but as soon as the headmost boat became exposed to the ship's guns, a well-directed fire of grape and canister left her neither rower nor helmsman, and she fell off towards the shore and sank in shallow water. But humanity to one of her own crew at length caused a cessation of the firing from the Sybille. A marine, according to his own account, while in the


 * A nephew of Sir Harconrt Lees, Bart.

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