structed
to strike no blow, but to devote himself at once to cutting their cords,
and placing weapons in their hands.

The surprise was complete. The sailors forming the majority of the
party, with two trusty retainers of the earl, who had special charge of
the affair, were proceeding carelessly along, having no thought of
interruption. So far their plans had succeeded perfectly. The moment
the two officers had reached the quay they were addressed by the men
sent on shore with the Royalist's boat. Unsuspicious of danger they took
their place in it, and therefore missed the opportunity, which they
would have had if they had entered any of the other boats, of learning
the true character of the Royalist. They had been attacked the instant
they gained the deck of the vessel. Harry, who was first, had been
knocked down before he had time to put his hand to his sword. Jacob had
fought valiantly for a short time, but he too had been knocked senseless
by a blow with a capstan bar. They had then been roughly tumbled below,
where no further attention had been paid to them. The Royalist had been
blown many miles out to sea, and did not make her anchorage until ten
o'clock in the morning. Then the hatches were removed, and the prisoners
brought on deck.

The inlet was a small one, and contained, only a little fishing village;
the prisoners saw the Royalist sail off again, directly they had been
placed in the boat. They had from the first moment when they regained
consciousness entertained no doubts whatever into whose hands they had
fallen, and they felt their position to be desperate. The plan, indeed,
had been skillfully laid, and had it not been for Harry reading the
order aloud in Mike's presence, there would have been no clew to their
disappearance. During the night the young men were too overpowered with
the violence of the storm, and the closeness of the atmosphere in the
hold, in which they had been thrown, to converse. But as the motion
moderated in the morning they had talked over their chances, and
pronounced them to be small indeed. Harry, indeed, remembered that Mike
had been present when he asked Jacob to accompany him on board ship, but
he thought that no uneasiness would be felt until late that night, as
it might well be thought that their duties had detained them, and that
they had supped on board. The storm might further account for their
non-appearance till morning. Then they imagined that inquiry would be
made