The pirates only detained one of the Cassandra’s crew—­Richard Lazenby, the carpenter’s mate, whom they forced unwillingly to go with them.  There is still extant a curious account by Lazenby of his cruise with the pirates.  He tells of the cruel tortures inflicted on all captured natives; how on the Malabar coast they had friends, especially among the Dutch at Cochin, who bought their plunder, supplied them with provisions, and gave them information of armed ships to be avoided, and rich prizes to be intercepted.  Those who wished to retire from the trade were given passages to Europe with their ill-gotten gains, in French ships; and finally, after witnessing the capture of the Portuguese Viceroy, to be related presently, he was put ashore at Bourbon, whence, in time, he made his way to England.

Since the renewal of war by Angria, at the beginning of the year, Boone had resolved to strike another blow against Gheriah, and all through the monsoon preparations had been made for action in September.  Great things were expected of the Phram, which was, however, not ready when the expedition sailed.  The direction of affairs was, on this occasion, entrusted to Mr. Walter Brown, who was styled for the occasion “Admiral of the Fleet, and Commander-in-Chief of all the forces.”  On the 13th September anchor was weighed, and on the morning of the 19th they arrived off Gheriah.  At Dabul, where they had called in for news, they learned that the Phram and the Chandos might soon be expected, but that there was no prospect of Captain Johnson’s machine being ready to take part in the expedition.  What Captain Johnson’s machine was we do not learn, but the intelligence ‘mightily disconcerted the soldiery.’  The squadron consisted of the London, which acted as flagship, the Victory frigate, the Revenge and Defiance grabs, the Hunter galley, two gallivats, a bombketch, a fireship, and a number of fishing-boats for landing troops.  The troops for the expedition consisted of 350 soldiers and topasses and 80 chosen sepoys.  Brown appears to have been thoroughly incompetent for such a command, and the undertaking was destined to add one more to the dismal list of failures.  His first act was to make the London exchange useless shots with the fort at a mile distance.  The following day, the bombketch was ordered to run close in within pistol-shot, and bombard the place at night.  One shell and one carcass were fired, neither of which went halfway, by reason of the mortars being so faultily constructed that the chambers could not contain a sufficient charge of powder.  ’This misfortune set the people a-grumbling.’