At the time of this dreadful disaster, the Ajax was lying at anchor close to the Royal George, and as her cable was soon burnt, the latter was obliged to cut and run out of her way. Upon the first alarm of fire, Lieutenant Willoughby had hastened in a cutter to the assistance of the unfortunate ship’s company, and he very soon rescued as many men from a watery grave as his boat could possibly float with; numbers, however, were still surrounding him – some swimming, others clinging to various buoyant articles, and many on the point of sinking, for want of that aid which it was impossible for him to render them; the cutter’s gunwale being only a few inches clear of the water, although masts, sails, and every other moveable article, except two or three oars, had been thrown overboard to lighten her. The Admiral was then so far off, that to reach the Royal George, or indeed any other ship, was quite impracticable; but, fortunately, some launches and barges at length arrived, received the poor fellows already saved by the light boats of the squadron, and continued to do so until they also were crowded. The Ajax, all this time, was drifting towards the island of Tenedos, with her stern and broadside alternately presented to the wind.
Lieutenant Willoughby had picked up and discharged a second boat load, and was again nearly, filled with people who had been so long in the water that they were nearly insensible, when he observed the Ajax round to, and at the same time several men hanging by ropes directly under her head.
Trusting that he should be able to rescue those men, and get clear of the ship before she again fell off, lieutenant Willoughby procured some more oars from other boats, then immediately dashed towards her, and succeeded in the first part of his object; but not until the burning fabric was once more right before the wind, with the cutter across her hawse, and flames issuing from every part of her hull and rigging.
To extricate himself from this unparalleled state of danger without the Divine aid was impossible; for every moment increased the velocity with which the Ajax was going through the water, while the sea she threw up at her bows threatened his small boat with instant destruction: to add to the horror
