ttend unlawful meetings, they must take the consequences,"
he observed, when Master Clough made his report.

"But the meeting was held by an Englishman, and those for whom I plead
are all English," answered Master Clough.

"Yes, but natives attended, as can very well be proved," exclaimed the
governor. "The report has already reached me. It will go hard with
them, for they have no excuse to offer. If you English come into this
country, you must abide by its laws. For the security of our holy
religion, such meetings are prohibited, and it matters not whether they
are held by Englishmen or others. They will shortly be tried; and if,
as I doubt not, they are found guilty, they will probably lose their
lives. You have had my answer."

Poor Master Clough could say nothing more.

Greatly out of spirits at the ill success of our visit, we left the
governor's house.

"We must unlock their prison doors with golden keys," at length said
Master Clough. "I have seldom found that fail; but I fear it will go
hard with the preacher. If our friend Overton cannot be liberated,
these people, who have executed so many others for less offences, will
shortly put him to death."

"If we cannot bribe his guards, we must carry him off by force," said
Captain Radford. "I shall not lack support; and such a mode of
proceeding is more to my taste than bribing these villains."

But the difficulty was to find out where Master Overton was shut up. It
might have been in the same prison as the rest of our friends, though it
was more probable that he had been carried to some securer jail.
Finding nothing more could be done that night, we turned our steps
homeward. On entering the house, we found the porter standing pale and
trembling, and wringing his hands, while the other servants came
hurrying into the hall in a state of the greatest trepidation and alarm.

"What is the matter--what else has happened?" asked Master Clough.

"They have carried her off! It was not our fault--they deceived us.
They have borne her away!"

It was now my turn to be anxious.

"Who? who?" I asked, scarcely able to utter the words.

"It is the young lady--Mistress Radford," answered one of the servants.

"Oh! my daughter! where have they borne her to?" cried Captain Radford.

"We know not; we cannot tell," answered the servant.

"Villains! knaves!" exclaimed Master Clough, his Welsh temper rising.
"How came you to allow any one to enter the house