lines, but both were dashed to pieces.

At one o'clock in the day some natives were seen collecting on the
shore, and these presently dragged down a boat and launched it, and with
great difficulty rowed out to the ship. A line was thrown to them, and
with this they returned to shore, where they made the line fast. The
storm was now abating somewhat, and Munro ordered the debarkation to
commence.

As many of the troops as could find a place on the raft, or could cling
to the ropes fastened on its sides, started first, and by means of the
line hauled the raft ashore. A small party then brought it back to the
ship, while others manned the boat; and so after a number of trips the
whole of the troops and crew were landed, together with all the weapons
and armour that could be saved.

From the peasantry Munro now learned that they had been wrecked upon
the coast of Rugenwalde, a low lying tract of country in the north
of Pomerania. The forts upon it were all in the possession of the
Imperialists, while the nearest post of the Swedes was eighty miles
away.

The position was not a pleasant one. Many of the arms had been lost, and
the gunpowder was of course destroyed. The men were exhausted and worn
out with their long struggle with the tempest. They were without food,
and might at any moment be attacked by their enemies.

"Something must be done, and that quickly," Munro said, "or our fate
will be well nigh as bad as that of the Sinclairs; but before night we
can do nothing, and we must hope that the Germans will not discover us
till then."

Thereupon he ordered all the men to lie down under shelter of the bushes
on the slopes facing the shore, and on no account to show themselves on
the higher ground. Then he sent a Walloon officer of the regiment to the
Pomeranian seneschal of the old castle of Rugenwalde which belonged to
Bogislaus IV, Duke of Pomerania, to inform him that a body of Scotch
troops in the service of the Swedish king had been cast on the coast,
and begging him to supply them with a few muskets, some dry powder, and
bullets, promising if he would do so that the Scotch would clear the
town of its Imperial garrison.

The castle itself, which was a very old feudal building, was held only
by the retainers of the duke, and the seneschal at once complied
with Munro's request, for the Duke of Pomerania, his master, although
nominally an ally of the Imperialists, had been deprived of all
authority by them, and