risks he managed to do. The enemy blockaded the mouth of Kinsale harbour, so that they could not get out, and tried to starve them into surrender. But these anxious days passed by, and when winter came round, the Roundheads were compelled to put out to sea to save themselves from the danger of being so near shore in the wild dark nights. They endeavoured, indeed, still to guard the harbour from some distance out at sea, but the rough winds soon scattered them about so much, that one fine day in November Rupert and his fleet sailed quickly out of their harbour unperceived by the rebels, and stood away for Portugal, whose King was known to be favourably disposed to the Royalist cause.

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CHAPTER XIX.

FAIR AND FOUL WEATHER.

THE Princes had a rough and adventurous passage to Portugal, but when they arrived there, they received a most friendly invitation from the King to go to Lisbon. Rupert accepted the invitation, and was promised protection while he remained in the Portuguese port.

While passing up the Tagus the little fleet was honourably saluted, and when at length they cast anchor the King sent a nobleman to invite them in his name to come on shore; more than this, he promised to give what assistance he could to Rupert's hopeless cause, the cause of the English Royalists. A great train of attendants was sent to conduct them to the palace, and Rupert once more exchanged for a few days his wild, rough life at sea, for the splendour and ease of a court. Money, however, was scarce, and that they might be able to pay proper wages to their seamen, and have besides something over to send to their destitute friends, the Princes, while they remained at Lisbon, endeavoured to sell all their lately captured prizes.

But the members of the English Parliament having learned where Rupert had gone to were

very quick to send ships in pursuit of him, and soon a great fleet arrived from England, and cast anchor just opposite the mouth of the Tagus. Presently they sent a formal demand to the King, requiring him either to deliver up the Princes into their hands, or if not, to deny them any further protection, and compel them to put out to sea and shift for themselves.

When the young King and Queen of Portugal heard this, they felt that they were in a sore strait. A powerful fleet stood actually in the mouth of their river. It would be highly dangerous to offend the commander of this fleet, who was yet asking them to do just what they had beforehand pledged their royal word should not be done. The King at first stoutly refused to give up his protection of Rupert; but the Portuguese ministers, who feared the power of the Parliamentary fleet, never ceased to urge him to consider the matter, until at last, in the hope of smoothing affairs, he agreed to call a council.

A noble and brave idea was all this time working in the mind of the young King. He wanted, in defiance of the Parliamentary ships, to man his own little fleet, and sailing at their head himself, to escort the Princes who had sought. refuge in his ports to a place of safety on the open sea. But the council clamoured against such a plan, and argued and advised, until the King abandoned his chivalrous intentions. In this manner the days passed away, but Rupert used them to good advantage, by putting his ships with all haste into good order for service.

After much hesitation it was settled that the

Portuguese admiral was to escort the Princes out of the river, and defend them from the enemy, till they were fairly out of the port. Rupert agreed to this arrangement, and made two attempts to get away; but each time he failed, either through the treachery or the stupidity of the admiral, who was never ready at the right time to help him to force his passage through the English fleet.

Months passed away in this unsatisfactory manner, until at length the English fleet, in order to annoy the King of Portugal, fell upon some of his merchant ships which were returning from the Brazils, and the Princes took this opportunity to escape clear away. Once out of the Tagus they took a southern course, and skirting the coast, passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, and so along by Malaga and Toulon, making prizes of all vessels who would not acknowledge the royal flag, and selling their prizes for ready money at the various ports where they touched as they went along.

It was necessary for Rupert to get all the money he could, for the Royalists were in sore want of it. Even Charles II. himself, a king in nothing save in name, wrote to Rupert while he was in Portugal, that he and his brother James, Duke of York (afterwards King James II.), were plunged into debt, which they were in no way able to pay, and that they looked to what help Rupert could send them, as their only means of getting out of their difficulties.

Spain was not friendly to the Princes, but rather took every opportunity of favouring the

Parliamentary English ships, and Rupert burned to avenge the slights cast upon the Royalists. The proposed West Indian expedition favoured his views, for the Spaniards held extensive possessions in that quarter, and it was hoped that many Spanish vessels might be captured on their outward and homeward courses.

There were some faint hearts, however, among the Royalists, who wanted to sail in the direction of home, instead of away to the West Indies, and the differences of opinion on the subject in the little fleet were a constant source of irritation and discord. Much valuable time was wasted in arguments and discussions, and meanwhile the fleet sailed about from Madeira to the Canary Isles, and from thence to the Azores. But they soon experienced a terrible loss. A short time after they had left the latter islands, one of the vessels, the "Admiral," on board of which was Rupert, sprang a leak in a storm, and, in spite of all efforts to save her, she foundered on September 30th, 1651; and with her perished 333 men. Both pumps were kept hard at work so long as it was possible, but the water came in faster than it could be pumped out. They fired guns to signal to their companion ships of their distress, and then, as their last resource, threw their guns overboard, in order to lighten the illfated vessel, which rolled heavily and helplessly on the waves. The sea raged so fiercely that it was almost impossible for the other ships to come near their unfortunate companion with safety to themselves; nevertheless, Prince Maurice, on board of the "Honest Seaman," drew near to attempt the