rew off, and we were left in quiet
for nearly a week. The time was spent in strengthening the
fortifications and drilling the volunteers. We had spies in the camp of
the Cavaliers, who managed under cover of the night to come into the
town with information of what they were about. One piece of news they
brought caused Governor Ceely and my friend Dick much anxiety. It was
that Mr Harvey, Dick's father, who, having been absent from the town
when the Cavalier army arrived before it, had been unable to join us,
was made prisoner, and was now in the camp. Dick was afraid that the
Prince would hang him, as he had others, and talked much with Lancelot
and me of a plan for rescuing him; still, for a long time we could
strike out nothing feasible. Dick, like a good son, was ready to run
every risk, and I was ready to assist him if I could obtain my father's
leave, as was also Lancelot.

We took Audrey and Cicely into our councils. Audrey proposed that she
and Cicely should go to the camp and try to bribe the guards to let Mr
Harvey escape.

"Bad as the Cavaliers may be, they won't injure two young girls, and
Prince Maurice, who is a gentleman, would be sure to treat us with
courtesy," observed Audrey. "You, Lancelot, and Dick might, in the
meantime, during the night, row along the coast, and landing, obtain a
horse, with which you can wait outside the Royalists' camp, until Mr
Harvey, being free, finds you and gallops off."

"No, no, such a plan I can never agree to," exclaimed Lancelot. "I
would sooner trust you two girls in a den of lions than amongst those
Malignants. We must devise some other plan; I am sure that our fathers
would not consent. Mr Harvey was taken without arms, and nothing can
be proved against him."

This conversation took place on the 6th of May, 1644, and good reason I
had for remembering the date. The weather had hitherto been fine, but
soon after midday it began to blow hard from the southward, and the seas
came rolling into our little harbour. Lancelot, who had gone away,
returned in a hurry, accompanied by Dick, and asked him to assist in
hauling up his boat, which ran a chance of being dashed to pieces, as
Tom Noakes, who had charge of her, was likely to be engaged on the
lines. We all three hurried down. When we got there, we found a number
of men, who, as the enemy were quiet, had left their posts in order to
secure their craft from the tempest. Evening was approaching, and as