een engaged to carry out.

"You deserve death, but your life shall be spared if you speak the
truth," said the admiral.

The man then confessed that he had been employed by the Cavaliers to
destroy the admiral and his flag-ship; that the cask was double-headed,
and that the interior was filled with gunpowder and missiles of all
sorts; that between the two heads there was a lock so contrived that on
being opened it would fire a quick match and cause the whole to explode.

"As you understand its mechanism, you shall be employed in extracting
its contents," said the admiral.

The man on hearing this looked greatly disconcerted, but was forced to
obey. The carpenter having provided him with tools, he descended into
the boat, when she was towed some distance from the ship, where she was
anchored, and the oars being removed, he was left to operate alone on
the cask.

He was watched with great interest as he cut a hole through the bottom.
This done, he took out the contents and hove them overboard, when he
hailed to say that the cask was empty.

The admiral then ordered him and the two blacks to depart with a message
for the Prince, informing him of the miscarriage of his enterprise.

The Prince afterwards, we heard, spread a report that he and his
brother, while out hunting, had been attacked by a party of men from
Admiral Blake's fleet, and that he had in consequence allowed the
attempt to be made to blow up the flag-ship. I should here say that on
board the Prince's fleet were many Republicans, who sent the admiral
information of all his intentions. We now heard that, fearing lest the
King of Portugal should no longer be willing to afford him protection,
Prince Rupert proposed putting to sea, and seeking his fortune in
another direction.

On this, a calm coming on, our ships were towed down to the mouth of the
river, where we lay ready to intercept him, and so the Prince's plan was
defeated.

Some weeks went by, when Admiral Popham arrived with a strong
reinforcement, and by one of the ships came letters to Lancelot and me,
of which I will speak anon. The King of Portugal, just before this,
throwing off all disguise, arrested several English merchants residing
in Lisbon, and declared his intention of supporting the corsair princes.

No sooner was this news received on board our ships than the admiral
sent word to the Portuguese government that he proposed to make
reprisals. While the messenger was on the wa