’Twas, I think, on August 15th that the first hope of release came to us, by the King’s troops seizing the ford-head across the river; and this happened as suddenly as our first surprise.  Lizzie and I were carrying down our baskets at four o’clock that day, when we heard a sound of musketry on the St. Veep shore and on top of it a bugle twice blown.  Running to the top of a knoll from which the river spread in view, I saw some rebels of our detachment splashing out from shore in a hurry.  The leaders reached mid-stream or thereabouts, and paused.  Doubtless they could see better than I what was happening; for after they had stood there a couple of minutes, holding their fire—­the musketry on the St. Veep bank continuing all the while—­some twenty men came running out of the woods there and fled across towards us, many bullets splashing into the water behind them.  They reached their comrades in the river-bed, and the whole body stood irresolute, facing the shore where nothing showed but a glint of steel here and there between the trees.  Thus for ten further minutes, perhaps, they hesitated; then turned and came sullenly back across the rising water.  In this manner the royal troops won the ford-head, and kept it; for although the two cannon opened fire that evening from the earthwork above us, and dropped many balls among the trees, they did not dislodge the regiment (Colonel Lloyd’s) which lay there and held one of the few passes by which the rebels could break away.

For—­albeit I knew nothing of this at the time—­by withdrawing his headquarters to Lostwithiel and holding our narrow ridge with Fowey at the end of it seaward, the Earl had led his army into a trap, and one which his Majesty was now fast closing.  Already he had drawn his troops across the river-meadows above Lostwithiel; and, whatever help the Earl might have hoped to fetch from the sea at his base, he was there prevented by the quickness of Sir Jacob Astley in seizing a fort on the other side of the harbour’s mouth as well as a battery commanding the town from that shore, and in flinging a hundred men into each, who easily beat off all ships from entering.  From this comfortable sea-entrance then Essex perforce turned for his stores to Twyardreath Bay on the western side of the ridge, where he landed a couple of cargoes at the mouth of the little river Par; but on the 25th the Prince Maurice sent down 2,000 horse and 1,000 foot, and after sharp skirmishing blocked this inlet also.  So now we had the whole rebel army cooped around us and along the two sides of the ridge, trampling our harvest and eating our larders bare, with no prospect but a surrender; which yet the Earl refused, although his Majesty thrice offered to treat with him.