Mr.Ross jumped ashore, and the boat backed off a few yards.
A quarter of an hour later, he returned.

That quarter of the town was entirely deserted, and he had pushed on until arrested by a barrier of flames.

The great square was on fire, from end to end; the European quarter generally was in flames; and he could see, by the litter that strewed the streets, that the houses had been plundered before being fired.
When daylight broke, a number of Europeans could be seen, at the edge of the water, in the harbour.

Boats were at once lowered; and the crews, armed to the teeth, rowed ashore.

Here they found about a hundred Europeans, many of them wounded.