Page 53 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NA\^'. 21
This success changed the aspect of affairs. The Yicero}' sent
a deputation proposing a treat}' to the Nabob, who answered
with a present of provisions, and a refusal to make any peace
in which the English should not be included. He also ordered
his officers at Swally to give every assistance to the latter, and
sent a spar from the city to rephicethe mainmast of the ' Hope,'
which had been destroyed by fire. Meantime the English ships
carried on their usual duties in the channel, though sometimes
alarmed, but never attacked, by the Portuguese, who waited
for reinforcements. These arrived on the ord of February, and
consisted of two ships, two large junks, and eight or ten of the
country boats. On the 8th, in the forenoon, the two junks,
with the two galleys before arrived, came driving up the channel
with the flood, as if intending to fire the English ships, for
which they were said to be prepared ; but as soon as the latter
weighed and stood towards them, they put about and got away
witli the wind. Captain Downton, who displayed a wonderful
combination of judgment and dash throughout these trying
circumstances, suspected that this appearance was only meant
to fix his attention to this end of the channel, while it was
really intended to make the attack from the otiier, where,
during the ebb, the wind and tide served together; whereas
the vvind constantly opposed the flood, which was the ordy aid
to approach from the south. Nor was he mistaken : for, soon
after dark, the interception of a bright light at a great distance,
discovered that vessels were moving to the north of the channel,
and, before midnight, four were descried coming down with the
ebb, being two fire-boats, not yet lighted, towed by two
" frigates." The cannon and small arms of the ships soon
obliged the latter to throw off the boats, to which they set fire.
These were avoided by three of the ships ; but both, at sonje
interval, fell foul of the 'Hope'—one athwart her hawse, the
other on her quarter— though she cleared herself without damage.
In the morning the flood brought them back, still burning,
when the ships' boats towed them aground.
On the night of the 10th, there came down two boats towed
by four "' frigates," which, as before, were forced by tiie fire of
the ships to cast off and set light to the boats at too great a
distance, when the strength of the wind drove them to leeward
of the ships. They were scarcely passed when many more
"frigates" were discovered, which had in tow four boats chained
together ahead. All steered directly for the ' Hector,' afi'ording
a good mark to the fire of the English ships, which again beat
them oft", after they liad only lighted two of the boats. The
'Hector,' by swinging round on her cable, avoided them; and
a shot set fire to the third boat, which fired the other, and all,
confounded together, were driven by the breeze on the strand
of Swally.