Page 105 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

A GALLANT BUT UNFORTUNATE COMMANDER 105

with Middleton from whom he learned that there was no
immediate hope of his and his fellow-captives’ release.
Finding that there was nothing to be done for the timebeing,
Down ton took the Darling and the Peppercorn over to the
Abyssinian coast to secure fresh supplies, and gave the
vessels a much-needed overhauling. He returned to the
old anchorage later to find that Middleton and all the cap­
tives “ with the exception of the carpenters and the hurt
men ” had been despatched to Sana, where the rigours of
their treatment had been somewhat relaxed. On the occa­
sion of this transfer Pemberton, one of the factors, managed
to give the guard the slip and get away to the coast, where
he found a canoe in which, after suffering many hardships,
he managed to make good his escape. His presence in the
fleet facilitated intercourse with Middleton, between whom
and Downton and others on board the ships he maintained
a regular correspondence.
Pemberton was anxious to have the commander follow
his example, and suggested to him that by disguising him­
self in Oriental apparel, cutting his hair from his face and
“ besmutting ” his skin he might easily get away. He
intimated that he himself would have shaved his beard and
disguised himself to have effected this business, but doubted
whether his “ pock-eated face ” with “ some kind of
show ” on the part of the men would not have betrayed
him. Middleton declined to entertain any suggestion of
escape in which he alone would be concerned. He rightly
perceived that even if he secured his freedom the difficulties
of the situation would not be lessened.
Downton chafed under the delay which the continued
detention of the prisoners imposed upon the fleet. He
would have adopted energetic action, seized the Indian