lotters remembered that a friend of his
would be at the meeting next day. As he did not wish him to be killed,
he sent him a letter, without signing his name, saying: "Do not go to
the House, for there shall be a sudden blow to many, and they shall not
see who hurts them".

The lord who received this letter took it to the King's Council, and
when King James saw it, he guessed what the "sudden blow" would be. Men
were sent to search the cellars, and there, on the very night before the
deed was to be done, Guy Fawkes was found waiting till the time should
come to set fire to the powder. He was cruelly tortured to make him tell
all he knew, but he was a brave man, and he died without betraying his
friends.

Since that time, every year, on the 5th of November, bonfires have been
lighted in many places in England, and "guys" burned, to remind people
how an English king was once saved from a great danger.

[Illustration: THE ARREST OF GUY FAWKES]

=Cromwell and his Ironsides=

When Charles I came to the throne of England, it was soon seen that he
was as bad a king as his father James I had been.

He did not care at all for the good of his country and his people, but
thought only of his own pleasure. He took away men's money and lands,
and if they offended him he took their lives too.

Englishmen would not bear this unjust treatment for long, and soon a war
began between the king and the people, who were determined to be free.

At first the king and his men were victorious everywhere, for they were
all used to horses and arms, and fought so well and so bravely that the
people could not stand against them. But at last a great leader arose
among the people. This leader, who was called Oliver Cromwell, was a
rough man, but he was just, good, and honest.

He saw at once that the people would never gain the victory over the
brave gentlemen-soldiers of King Charles, unless they had obedient and
well-trained men to fight for them. So he chose a band of plain,
hard-working men who feared God, and loved duty and right, and he spent
all his money in fitting them with arms and horses, and in training them
sternly, until they became the finest soldiers the world has ever known.
Cromwell called his men his "lovely company", and others called them
"Ironsides", for they were strong and firm as iron, and were never
beaten. It was these brave, sober, obedient soldiers who at last
defeated the king's army, and won freedom for