and very many of the men were
killed. Among the latter was James Webb, gunner's mate, belonging to
the first lifeboat. When he saw that she was likely to fall into the
hands of the blacks, he made a desperate attempt to spike her gun; but,
while thus engaged, he was cut down by the enemy, and mortally wounded.

While Commander Hillyar was arranging the boats so that they might keep
up their fire as they retreated to the _Teazer_, some of the kroomen on
board Mr Beecroft's _Victoria_ let go her anchor, and there she lay
exposed entirely to the fire of the blacks. On seeing this, Captain
Lyster pulled back to her to learn what was the matter. "What has
occurred now?" he asked of Mr Blight, the boatswain. "The kroomen let
go the anchor without orders," he replied. "Then slip your cable, and
get out of this," exclaimed Captain Lyster. "It's a chain cable,
clenched to the bottom, and we can't unshackle it," replied Mr Blight.
On hearing this disheartening intelligence, Captain Lyster jumped on
board to see what assistance he could render. Just then Lieutenant
Corbett staggered up towards the stern, exclaiming, "I have done it, and
am alive!" In truth, he had cut the chain cable with a cold chisel, and
in so doing, while leaning over the bows of the boat, had received five
different wounds, which, with the addition of a severe one received on
shore, rendered him almost helpless. His right arm was hanging to his
side, but he still with his left worked away, and assisted in getting
the _Victoria_ off to the _Teazer_.

While Captain Lyster was leaving the _Victoria_ to get into his own
boat, he was shot in the back with a musket-ball. On account of the hot
fire to which they were still exposed, and the number of men already
killed and wounded, he judged that he should not be justified in
attempting to recover the lifeboat on that occasion. Leaving her,
therefore, on the beach, the party returned to the _Teazer_. The people
who had at first got possession of the lifeboat had afterwards abandoned
her; but they now returned, and some forty or fifty got into her,
intending to carry her off. Seeing this, Mr Balfour, acting mate,
assisted by Mr Dewar, gunner, pulling back to the shore in the first
cutter, threw a rocket towards her, and so well-directed was it that it
entered her magazine and blew it up. As soon as the party got back to
the _Teazer_ (having now pretty well silenced the fire of the enemy),
they set to