They went round to all the houses, &c., and put us under parole of honor not to molest them in any way. We were not consequently prisoners (only not to molest trouble them). Next morning some men of the Guard -ship's boats came on shore for water, and some of the whaleboat men conversed with them without being discovered. One of the neighbors (not wishing the British sailors, to be taken, and afraid to speak out in presence of the whaleboat men who would not allow them to talk with
[X] Thomas, I think, came in August, and the whaleboat men in November or December when the Easterly storms are common.
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the sailors alone) told the crew that it looked like a storm and that they had better not to come on shore again. It cleared up, however, and they came again for water and were taken - an officer and three men, and marched across the island. The whaleboat men rolled the barrels down to the water to deceive the guardship who supposed them her crew, until a boy went in a boat on aboard and told what had happened. The British ship then fired heavy grapeshot and balls and injured some of the houses, but the whaleboat men got off safely. They landed and left their boats on the northwest end of the island, and the guard ship lay on the southeast end. Sometime after this, the whaleboat men sent word to the guard ship that they would enjoy the island at night, and the British might in the daytime if they would not molest them, and this was afterwards