ity they came by a small village called by them _All
to nah_ (Altona), that is, "All too nigh," being the King of Denmark's
territory, within half a league, which they thought too near their city.
When they came a little lower, with a sudden strong blast of wind the
boat in which Whitelocke was, was in great danger of being overset; after
which it grew to be a calm; whereupon Whitelocke sent to the English
cloth-ships, which lay a little below, to lend him some of their
ship-boats and mariners with oars, to make better way than his boat with
sails could do. This they did readily; and as Whitelocke passed by them,
they all saluted him with their cannon.

[SN: but lands at Stadt.]

Having changed their boats and discharged the great ones, they went more
cheerfully down the river till they came within half a league of the town
of Stadt; when being almost dark, and the mariners not accustomed to the
river out of the channel, the boat in which Whitelocke was, struck upon
the sand, and was fast there. Presently the English mariners, seven or
eight of them, leaped out of the boat into the river, "up to their chins,
and by strength removed the boat from off the sands again; and they came
to their oars again, within an English mile of Stadt, when it was very
late, and the boats were two German miles from the frigates, and the tide
turning. Whitelocke thought it impossible to reach his ships this night,
and not prudent to proceed with unexperienced men upon this dangerous
river by night; and understanding by General Potley, and one of the
trumpets who had been formerly here, of a house upon the river that goes
to Stadt, within a quarter of a mile of the place where they now were,
Whitelocke ordered the mariners to make to that house, who, with much
difficulty, found out the mouth of the river; but for want of water,
being low tide, they had much trouble to get the boat up to the cruise,
or in there. The master of the house had been a soldier and a cook; he
prepared a supper for them of salt eels, salt salmon, and a little
poultry, which was made better by the meat and wine that the Resident
brought with him; yet all little enough when the rest of Whitelocke's
company, in three other boats, came to the same house, though they could
not know of Whitelocke being there; but he was very ill himself, and this
was a bad quarter for him, who had been so lately very sick at Hamburg;
yet he contented himself without going to bed. His sons