About noon, hearing guns fired on shore, I sent an officer with an armed boat to enquire the cause, furnishing them with ammunition for the tender. When close to the island he encountered the boats returning, and remarked that great disorder prevailed among their crews, three of the number being badly wounded. They stated that all their cartridges being wet, and some of the soldiers having thrown away their arms, they had nothing remaining with which they could defend themselves. Although the officer sent to their assistance had with him a dozen good muskets, and cartridges both for them and for the small cannon, he thought it best to return on board, which I did not regret when I heard of the events that had occurred. It appeared that our people met with a friendly reception from the Papuas, who showed them the watering-place, while those who had visited the brig the previous night brought them presents of cocoa-nuts and _sagoweer_, or palm wine. On his first arrival the midshipman made arrangements according to his instructions, and had scarcely finished filling his casks in readiness to be put on board the tender, when the natives suddenly attacked our party with a shower of spears and arrows. The Javanese seamen, who had been stupid enough to leave their arms behind them, immediately left the water casks, and fled towards the tender, while the corporal, who should have been the last to retreat, left his post at the first shout of the Papuas, and throwing away his musket and sword, followed their example. The Javanese Mandor,[49] however, took up the musket and fired it at the attackers. The shameful flight of the corporal created great confusion among the covering party, to whom the former cried out that they were to follow him, which they did, after making a short stand. The Papuas naturally acquired fresh courage on seeing this, and fell on the hindmost, whom they could easily wound as they fled, while little opposition could be made on our side, as the tender had already shoved off, and the muskets of the people in the boat had become useless from their being wetted as their owners waded on board. The soldiers and seamen made heavy complaints against the corporal, to whose cowardice the unfortunate result of the affair was to be attributed, he having caused the greatest confusion by cutting the grapnel rope of the tender, and shoving her off. Concerning the conduct of the midshipman I would rather be silent. On subsequent examination I discovered, alas! that my orders had not been followed, and that some had thought more of amusing themselves than of executing the duty on which they had been sent.