Giles Milton

They've not been forgotten.

They are going to be relieved.

They've got support coming.

They've got food coming.

And this, for them, is the best possible news.

That's going to help them along for the next few months.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

I'm afraid it's not going to end very well for the men on the Solomon.

As they come towards Rann and the men are watching expectantly, they turn to the east and they see a Dutch fleet coming towards the Solomon.

And unfortunately, the Solomon is attacked by the Dutch.

It's overwhelmed and literally under the cliffs of Rann, it's captured by the Dutch and the men on board and all the supplies and the Arak that they were so desperate for.

No Arak makes it ashore, not even a single jar.

Not even a single jar.

It's all carted off to the other five bander islands by the Dutch.

And actually rather worse than this is the crew of the Solomon are taken prisoner by the Dutch and the Dutch show absolutely no mercy.

And they're all imprisoned on what became known as Fort Revenge, which was one of the forts that I mentioned earlier that could still be seen in the Boundary Islands.

And I don't know how sensitive the ears are of your listeners, but I don't know if I can just read a very, very short thing of one of the prisoners who was housed in the dungeons of this fort.

And there was a grill over the top of the dungeon.

And this is what he said.

Bartholomew Churchman, he said...