double-banked cutter, in which he was lying off upon his oars, waiting for the boats of the squadron to assemble near the Royal George, at the time when the enemy began to reembark. Perceiving that they were exerting themselves to reach the Asiatic shore, and that the whole would escape if not attacked before all the British boats could be got together, he immediately dashed on towards their main body, obliged the two sternmost boats to alter their course, and gave way to board the nearest.
During the pursuit, the boats thus cut off ran alongside of each other, apparently to exchange some men, but separated again in a minute or two, and continued pulling with great velocity towards the main land. On approaching pretty close to them, Lieutenant Willoughby distinctly saw that one was manned with about 20 Greeks, and that the other had a Turkish crew, 13 in number: the former soon ceased rowing, held their hands up, and cried for mercy. No honour could be gained by capturing them, and they were, therefore, allowed to escape. After exchanging a few musket-shot with the Turks, they likewise laid in their oars; and when Lieutenant Willoughby arrived within about twenty yards of them, their chief took his sword by the point, and presented the handle to him, thereby indicating that he surrendered.
Having continued to advance. Lieutenant Willoughby was about to take hold of the sword thus offered in token of submission, when, to his great astonishment, two Turks pointed their pistols towards the stem of his boat, and fired, killing one man and mortally wounding another. Enraged at this treacherous act, the remainder of the British sailors would instantly have commenced an indiscriminate slaughter; but as Lieutenant Willoughby had kept his eye constantly fixed upon the Turkish officer, he felt convinced that it was not connived at by him, and therefore he would only allow the two guilty individuals to be slain – of the others not a man was hurt.
The principal captive taken by Lieutenant Willoughby’ proved to be a person of rank; and as the Turks had just before captured the Endymion’s jolly-boat, with a young
