which was only at intervals disturbed by the
discharge of one or other of the guns, or by the
falling of the masts. It was not long before
the timbers of the vessel were destroyed, but
the copper bottom continued floating about,
like a great caldron filled with every thing
that was combustible in a liquid and blazing
state, till the sad spectacle was concealed
from our view by a dense fog at four or five
o’clock in the afternoon, when with a fairer
breeze we steered back for Reikevig, the
Orion not affording accommodation for so
many people as were now on board, nor
being furnished with provisions enough for
a voyage to England. It had been whispered
among our crew, previously to their leaving
the Margaret and Anne, that some of the
Danes had probably set fire to the vessel,
and this suspicion was now confirmed even
by their own confessions. Two of them,
therefore, who were most strongly suspected,
were put in irons, and the beds, &c., of
those belonging to the Orion searched for
any combustible matter by which a similar
act of villainy might here be committed.
The result of this search was, that a large
piece of touchwood was found concealed
under one of their hammocks, and it was
ascertained that it was with some of the
same substance that one or two of the
Danes, in the Margaret and Anne, went
down the fore hatchway at about ten o’clock
on the Saturday night, and set fire to the
wool, which, owing to its slow mode of
burning, was not discovered till the following
morning. In the Orion, which was
now on many accounts so uncomfortable, we
Tuesday, passed but two nights; for on the
August 29. Tuesday morning we came to anchor
in Reikevig Bay, where we landed the
whole of our prisoners, except the two in
irons, who were received into the Talbot,
and in two or three days the Orion again
set sail for England with Mr. Phelps and
Mr. Jorgensen. Count Tramp and myself
were left behind: the former at his own request
was received on board the Talbot, and
I was likewise invited in the most handsome
manner by Captain Jones to take my passage
to England in the same vessel, he
knowing the poor accommodations that the
Orion afforded, and justly supposing that I
should be more comfortable with him.
I gladly avail myself of this opportunity to
acknowledge with gratitude the many marks