 Three miles away was an island , known today as Pulau Liat , and Maxwell ordered the first lieutenant , Henry <unk> Hoppner , to take Lord Amherst and his party off in two of the boats . The island 's thick vegetation prevented an accurate assessment of whether it was inhabited or not , and forced the crews to row a further three miles before finding a suitable landing spot between the mangroves . The rest of the ships company were evacuated in the remaining boats and a large raft . Because of the lack of provisions , and in particular , drinking water , it was decided that Hoppner would take Amherst and his embassy in two of the boats to Java , 200 miles to the south . Once there , a rescue could be initiated . A return journey to Java could not be accomplished in less than nine days and so further supplies would be required for the 200 remaining . 
