the boats were instantly manned and armed, and a force of 300 seamen and marines landed for their rescue, whom Lord George, had the pleasure of meeting at the landing place. His lordship, in his first flight, was accompanied up stairs by the pretty Miss S ___, who first suggested an asylum up the chimney, then under her bed, and finally, in her bed. King Charles the second, of amorous memory, often declared, that when in the midst of the oak, he “would not have kissed the bonniest lass in a’ Christendom;’ and so, in like manner, had Miss S ___, all lovely as she was, offered to be his lordship’s bed companion, at this critical moment, I verily believe he would have equally declined the overture. He made a better election; for happening to observe a burgher’s dress in one of the rooms, he put it on, sallied forth at the back-door, and reached the landing place, just in time to put himself at the head of his men, whom he was leading in pursuit when I joined, and cordially shook him by the hand. It would be difficult to say, whether his joy at our escape, or his merriment at my appearance, was the greatest. An hour before I had been the meet inmate of a lady’s boudoir; and now, covered from head to foot with filth and mire, I was untouchable, nay almost unapproachable, by any human being. Even Jack himself, with all his deference for his commander, was constrained to chuckle at the grotesqueness of my appearance. Heartily did I join in the laugh, merrily observing, that my condition was a fine illustration of the truism, that, ‘from the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step!’ – ‘But,’ what say you, my lord, I added, ‘to our giving a practical commentary upon it to those fellows?’ – pointing to the enemy’s cavalry, about 60 in number, whom we saw drawn up on an eminence a few miles off. The proposition was hardly uttered, when it was assented to; Lord George observing, ‘I was just about to ask your opinion upon that point.’ A halt was made, provisions were sent for, and then off we started in pursuit, determined, if possible, to serve out to our opponents a double portion of their own measure; and pretty well we executed our mission. * * * * * At daylight, we all but caught every rogue of them napping: twenty minutes sooner, and the en-
