The British occupation led to a mass exodus of pirates. The guards were ordered to allow egress but no Greek was admitted, with the exception of Antoniades who was still viewed as an intermediate agent. The twelve prominent pirates tried to escape in small barks but were prevented by the vigilance of the Allied fleet. Unable to leave, they started spreading rumours that the British planned to hang every man on the island. Antoniades even hatched a plan to sink a mine under a building where the soldiers were quartered and blow it up. A small army of 700 to 800 pirates would then attack the rest of the guard while more men would prevent the landing of reinforcements and assist in the massacre.