teries into profound silence with
astonishment; not a gun was afterwards fired for the night. The
shrieks of the inhabitants informed us that the town was thrown
into the greatest terror and consternation by the explosion of
the magazine, and the bursting and falling of shells in all
directions. The whole squadron waited, with the utmost anxiety,
to learn the fate of the adventurers, from a signal previously
agreed on, in case of success; but waited in vain. No signs of
their safety were to be observed. The Argus, Vixen and Nautilus,
hovered round the entrance of the port until sunrise, when they
had a fair view of the whole harbour. Not a vestige of the ketch
or her boats was to be seen. One of the enemy's largest gunboats
was missing, and three others were seen very much shattered and
damaged, which the enemy were hauling on shore. From these
circumstances, I am led to believe that these boats were detached
from the enemy's flotilla to intercept the ketch, and, without
suspecting her to be a fire ship, the missing boat had suddenly
boarded her, when the gallant Somers and heroes of his party,
observing the other three boats surrounding them, and no prospect
of escape, determined, at once, to prefer _death_ and the
_destruction of the enemy_ to _captivity_ and _torturing
slavery_, put a match to the tram leading directly to the
magazine, which at once blew the whole into the air, and
terminated their existence. My conjectures respecting this affair
are founded on a resolution which Captain Somers, Lieutenants
Wadsworth and Israel had formed--neither to be taken by the
enemy, nor suffer him to get possession of the powder on board
the Intrepid. They expected to enter the harbour without
discovery, but had declared that should they be disappointed, and
the enemy should board them, before they reached the point of
destination, in such force as to leave them no hopes of a safe
retreat, that they would put a match to the magazine, and blow
themselves and their enemies up together; determined, as there
was no exchange of prisoners, that their country should never pay
ransom for them, nor the enemy receive a supply of powder through
their means. The disappearance of one of the enemy's boats, and
the shattered condition of three others, confirm me in