ged him down into the darkness below deck.

'Then he went,' says Richard, 'and sat him down upon a chest lid, and
I went and sat down upon another beside him; then he fell upon me and
beat me again; then called his boy to bring him two lashings and he
lashed my arms to the capstan's bars and caused the men to heave the
capstan about; and in three or four times passing about the lashings
were loosed, no man knew how, nor when, nor could they ever be found,
although they sought them with lighted candles.'

The sailors had tied their prisoner with ropes to the heavy iron wheel
in the stern of the boat called a capstan; so that as he moved he
would be obliged to drag it round and thus help to work the ship. They
had made their prisoner as fast as ever they could. Yet, somehow, here
he was free again, and his bonds had disappeared! The boatswain's mate
couldn't understand it, but he was determined to solve the mystery. He
sent for a Bible and made the sailors swear upon it in turn, in that
dark, ill-smelling den, that not one of them had loosed Richard. They
all swore willingly, but even that did not content the mate. He
thought they were lying, and would not let them go till he had turned
out all their pockets, and found that not one of them contained the
missing lashings that had mysteriously disappeared. Then, at last,
even the rough mate felt afraid. Richard seemed to be in his power and
defenceless: was he really protected by Something or Someone stronger
than any cruel men, the mate wondered?

So he called the sailors round him again, and spoke to them as
follows: 'Hear what I shall say unto you; you see this is a wonderful
thing, which is done by an invisible hand, which loosed him, for none
of you could see his hands loosed, that were so near him. I suppose
this man' (said he) 'is called a Quaker, and for conscience' sake
refuseth to act, therefore I am afflicted, and do promise before God
and man that I will never beat, nor cause to be beaten, either Quaker
or any other man that doth refuse, for conscience' sake, to fight for
the king. And if I do, I wish I may lose my right hand.' That was the
promise of the boatswain's mate.

* * * * *

Three days later the Admiral of the whole fleet, Sir Edward Spragg,
came on board the _Royal Prince_. He was a very fine gentleman indeed.
At once every one began to tell him the same story: how they had
pressed a Quaker up at Scarborough in the