se of
this disappointment, and for greater safety the king rode on to Burport
with his friends. Being come to the outskirts of the town, they were
alarmed at finding the streets in a state of confusion, and full of
Cromwell's soldiers, fifteen hundred of whom were about to embark for
Jersey. His majesty's coolness and presence of mind did not fail him;
he resolved to ride boldly into the town, and hire a chamber at the best
inn. The yard of the hostelry was likewise crowded with troopers; but
this did not dismay his majesty.

"I alighted," said he, "and taking the horses, thought it the best way
to go blundering in among them, and lead them through the middle of the
soldiers into the stable; which I did, and they were very angry with me
for my rudeness. As soon as I came into the stable I took the bridle
off the horses, and called the ostler to me to help me, and to give the
horses some oats. And as the hostler was helping me to feed the horses,
'Sure, sir,' says he, 'I know your face?' which was no very pleasant
question to me. But I thought the best way was to ask him where he had
lived, or whether he had always lived there or no. He told me that he
was but newly come thither; that he was born in Exeter, and had been
ostler in an inn there, hard by one Mr. Potter's, a merchant in whose
house I had lain in the time of the war. So I thought it best to give
the fellow no further occasion of thinking where he had seen me, for
fear he should guess right at last; therefore I told him, 'Friend,
certainly you have seen me then at Mr. Potter's, for I served him a good
while above a year.' 'Oh,' says he, 'then I remember you a boy there;'
and with that was put off from thinking any more on it, but desired that
we might drink a pot of beer together, which I excused by saying that
I must go wait on my master, and get his dinner ready for him; but told
him that my master was going to London, and would return about three
weeks hence, when he would be there, and I would not fail to drink a pot
with him."

The king and his friends, having dined at the inn, got word that the
master of the ship, suspecting that it was some dangerous employment he
had been hired for, absolutely refused to fulfil his contract. Therefore
they, being sad at heart and fearful, retraced their steps to Trent, and
presently his majesty went further into Sussex, and abode with a
staunch Royalist, one Colonel Gunter, who resided within four miles
of Salisbury.