“As soon as Mr. Barry has reached an elevation where he could fairly see the ship’s hull, he turned short round, and walked, without hastening his steps, directly towards me—passing me, however, without discovering any emotion, and said, ‘there is trouble on board, sir.’
“To the question ‘What did you see?’ he replied, ‘men jumping overboard.’
“Convinced at once, of our own perilous situation, and that our escape depended on extremely cautious and judicious management, I answered:
“‘We must show no alarm, but muster the men, and order them into the boat.’
“We deliberately pushed off from the shore, the Malays having no suspicion of our design, thinking it to be our intention, by our apparently unconcerned manner, to cross the river for a stroll in the opposite Bazar as was our frequent custom. The moment the boat’s stern had left the bank of the river, Po Adam sprang into her in a great state of excitement, to whom I exclaimed:
“‘What! do you come, too, Adam?’
“He answered: ‘You got trouble, Captain, if they kill you, must kill Po Adam first.’
“He suggested we should steer the boat as far as possible from the western bank of the river, which was here not more than one hundred feet wide, when I remarked to the boat’s crew:
“‘Now spring to your oars, my lads, for your lives, or we are all dead men.’
“Adam exhibited the utmost alarm and consternation, encouraging my men to exert themselves, and talking English and Acheenise both in the same breath—now exclaiming in Acheenise, ‘di-yoong di yoong hi!’ And then exhorting them to ‘pull, pull strong!’