gh he heard shouts and screams coming
from the watergate, he had no idea what had taken place; until Mr.
Haines joined him.

"Have you seen them safely off?" Charlie asked.

"My wife has gone," Mr. Haines said. "My daughter is still here. There
has been a horrible scene of confusion. Although the boats were amply
sufficient to carry all, no steps whatever had been taken to secure
order. The consequence was, there was a wild rush. Women and children
were knocked down and trampled upon. They leaped into the boats in
such wild haste that several of these were capsized, and numbers of
people drowned. I kept close to my wife and child, till we reached the
side of the stream. I managed to get my wife into a boat, and then a
rush of people separated me from my daughter; and before I could find
her again, the remaining boats had all pushed off. Many of the men
have gone with them, and among them, I am ashamed to say, several of
the officers.

"However, I trust the boats will come up again tomorrow, and take away
the rest. Two have remained, a guard having been placed over them, and
I hope to get Ada off to her mother, in the morning."

Towards morning, Mr. Haines again joined Charlie.

"What do you think?" he said. "Those cowardly villains, Drake and
Minchin, have taken the two boats, and gone off on board ship!"

"Impossible!" Charlie exclaimed.

"It is too true," Mr. Haines said. "The names of these cowards should
be held as infamous, as long as the English nation exists.

"Come, now, we are just assembling to choose a commander. Mr. Peeks is
the senior agent; but I think we shall elect Mr. Holwell, who is an
energetic and vigorous man."

It was as Mr. Haines had expected. Mr. Holwell was elected, and at
once took the lead. He immediately assigned to Charlie the command of
the troops. Little was done at the council, beyond speaker after
speaker rising to express his execration of the conduct of the
governor and Captain Minchin.

With daybreak, the enemy's fire recommenced. All day long Charlie
hurried from post to post, encouraging his men, and aiding in working
the guns. Two or three times, when the enemy showed in masses, as if
intending to assault, the fire of the artillery drove them back; and
up to nightfall they had gained but little success. The civilians as
well as the soldiers had done their duty nobly, but the loss had been
heavy, from the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters in the surrounding
buildings;