Fortunately, Tulagi Angria was in a
high state of delight, at the victory he had just won; and, instead of
ordering them to be instantly executed, he told the captain to take
them on to Suwarndrug, and to imprison them there until his arrival.
He himself, with the rest of his fleet, and the captured Dutch sloop,
sailed into Gheriah; and the craft, in which Charlie and his
companions were imprisoned, continued her course to the island
stronghold of the pirates.
Suwarndrug was built on a rocky island. It lay within gunshot of the
shore. Here, when Kanhagi Angria had first revolted from the authority
of the Mahratta kingdom, the ruler of the Deccan had caused three
strong forts to be built, in order to reduce the island fort. The
pirates, however, had taken the initiative, and had captured these
forts; as well as the whole line of seacoast, a hundred and twenty
miles in length; and the country behind, twenty or thirty miles broad,
extending to the foot of the mountains.
On their arrival at Suwarndrug, the prisoners were handed over to the
governor, and were imprisoned in one of the casemates of the fort. The
next day, they were taken out and ordered to work; and, for weeks,
they laboured at the fortifications, with which the pirates were
strengthening their already naturally strong position.
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