Page 193 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH 193

the reply of the Dutch was a contemptuous refusal. Be­
fore his envoy returned he had worked out for himself a
complete plan of defence based on the idea that he would
have to rely upon his own resources probably for a con-
siderable period. He dismantled the Defence and had
her guns and stores removed to Nailaka, which he con­
verted into a fortified camp sufficiently strong to resist
almost any attack that the Dutch were likely to make
upon it. The empty ship, he contemplated, should be
moored near the shore so that she could not be readily
attacked, or if attacked might be destroyed to save her
from capture.
The scheme was probably as sound a one as could have
been devised in the peculiar circumstances in which Court-
hope was placed, but there were traitors in camp and
one night the Defence was cut adrift and taken by the
mutineers into Neira, where she was surrendered to the
Dutch. Courthope’s only satisfaction was that a number
of loyal men put off in a boat at some peril to themselves
and succeeded in rejoining him.
This additional blow was a heavy one, but Courthope,
though now completely isolated, declined to give up the
fight. His spirit of determination, indeed, seems to have
taken a sterner form as his position became more difficult.
Laurence Keaal, the Governor-General, had himself
at this time taken over the direction of affairs in the East­
ern Islands, and being desirous of making if 'possible an
amicable arrangement sent an invitation to Courthope for
a conference. The English commander attended and
entered into a long debate on the position of affairs which
had been created by recent events. Reaal offered to
return the captured ships and men, to pay compensation
N