l.
Morrice had got rid of the dangerous sentry.

By this time the ladders were up, and some of those without had reached
the top of the wall. They signalled to their friends at a distance, and
rushed to the court of guard, whose inmates they speedily mastered,
after knocking two or three of them upon the head. The gates were now
thrown open, and a strong body of horse and foot who waited outside rode
in.

The castle was won. Morrice led a party to the governor's chamber, told
him that "the castle was surprised and himself a prisoner," and advised
him to surrender. The worthy governor seized his arms and dealt some
blows, but was quickly disarmed, and Pontefract was again a castle of
the king.

So ended the first act in this drama. There was a second act to be
played, in which Cromwell was to take a hand. The garrison was quickly
reinforced by royalists from the surrounding counties; the castle was
well provisioned and its fortifications strengthened; contributions were
raised from neighboring parts; and the marauding excursions of the
garrison soon became so annoying that an earnest appeal was made to
Cromwell, "that he would make it the business of his army to reduce
Pontefract."

Just then Cromwell had other business for his army. The Scots were in
the field. He was marching to reduce them. Pontefract must wait. He
sent, however, two or three regiments, which, with aid from the
counties, he deemed would be sufficient for the work.

Events moved rapidly. Before the Parliamentarian troops under
Rainsborough reached the castle, Cromwell had met and defeated the army
of Scots, taking, among other prisoners, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, whom
the Parliament threatened to make "an example of their justice."

The men of Pontefract looked on Sir Marmaduke as their leader.
Rainsborough was approaching the castle, but was still at some distance.
It was deemed a worthy enterprise to take him prisoner, if possible and
hold him as hostage for Sir Marmaduke. Morrice took on himself this
difficult and dangerous enterprise.

At nightfall, with a party of twelve picked and choice men, he left the
castle and made his way towards the town which Rainsborough then
occupied. The whole party knew the roads well, and about daybreak
reached the point for which they had aimed,--the common road leading
from York. The movement had been shrewdly planned. The guards looked for
no enemy from this direction, and carelessly asked the party of stra