barge arrived in time to pick them up, and convey them to the
different ships of the squadron.

The Ajax all this time was drifting towards the island of Tenedos,
with her stern and broadside alternately presented to the wind. The
humane exertions of Lieutenant Willoughby had been twice crowned with
success; his boat was, for the third time, nearly filled with people,
when he observed the Ajax round to, and that several men were hanging
by ropes under her head. He resolved, at all hazards, to rescue these
poor fellows before she again fell off. Dashing, therefore, towards
her, he succeeded in the first part of his object, but not until the
vessel was again before the wind, flames issuing from every part of
both hull and rigging, and with the cutter across her hawse.

To extricate himself from this perilous situation was almost
impossible, for every moment increased the speed with which the Ajax
was surging through the water, and the sea thrown up from her bows
threatened his small boat with instant destruction.

We will now take up the account as given by Marshall, in his _Naval
Biograghy_:[10]

'Whilst the Ajax was propelling the cutter in the above alarming
manner, the flames reached the shank, painter, and stopper, of her
remaining bower anchor, and it fell from her bows, nearly effecting
the destruction of the boat at its first plunge into the water. The
cable caught her outer gunwale, over which it ran, apparently one
sheet of fire; orders, exertion, and presence of mind were now of no
avail. Death to all in the cutter appeared inevitable. The sole
alternative was either to be burned or drowned, for they were all too
much exhausted to be able to save themselves by swimming.

'The boats at a distance saw that the cutter was enveloped in flames,
and therefore considered it impossible to assist her. All that
Lieutenant Willoughby and his companions could do while the cable was
running out and binding their boat more firmly to the ship, was to
keep the sparks and flames as much as possible from the uncovered
parts of their persons. Providentially, however, although the inner
portion of the cable had been burnt through, the anchor took the
ground, and gave the ship's head a check to windward, before the less
consumed part had entirely left the tier; and thus the very event
which had seemed to seal the doom of the cutter was in all respects
ordained by the Almighty for her preservation. The change in the
ship's p