e desirous of performing the duty imposed
upon him. However, being in the hands of armed men, he could not help
himself, and was placed with a guard in the boat, in which Stephen
conveyed him on board the frigate. Whenever Stephen had left her side,
he saw her crew making preparations for getting under weigh. Her anchor
was hove up, her sails set, and the wind being off shore, she at once
stood out to sea.

"She seems to me to be standing more to the southward than her due
course for the Start," he said to one of the boatmen.

"May be the Captain does not know how the wind will come, which is to
give the Start a wide berth," was the answer.

As far, however, as Stephen could watch, he observed that she held a
south-westerly course. On his arrival on shore he found that
notwithstanding the untoward event of the afternoon, the expedition to
Bridport was still to be carried out. He found a party of three hundred
men under Colonel Wade, with a hundred men under Captain Goodenough,
while the cavalry was commanded by Lord Grey, who had charge of the
whole expedition. They were to march all night in great secrecy, hoping
to fall on the militia early in the morning. They waited till sunset,
when, all being prepared, they marched out of Lyme, the infantry
leading, the cavalry bringing up the rear. The men were ordered to keep
silence, and to make as little noise in any way as possible. It was no
easy matter to induce raw recruits, however, to do this. Stephen of
course, knew every inch of the way. They were still some three or four
miles from Bridport, when the advanced guard met two men coming from the
direction of the town. Instead of running away they advanced boldly,
declared that they had escaped from the town, and that their wish was to
join the Duke of Monmouth.

"You have found them sooner than you expected," said Lieutenant
Mitchell, the officer commanding the vanguard.

The men willingly agreed to return with the party, although they said
that there were no less than one thousand two hundred foot, and a
hundred horse already holding the town. Still, as they had come thus
far and were positively ordered to attack, the leaders were unwilling to
go back without attempting something, although they were far
outnumbered. A thick fog came on towards morning, which completely
concealed their approach towards the end of the town, which consists of
one long broad street with a stone bridge at either end, and a