near the sea. Here he contrived a plan of
escape.

His plan he communicated first to Mr. Newton,
a dissenting minister, who pronounced it
practicable, though very hazardous; and then
to John Randall, who wished it good success.
Neither of them, however, was willing
to join in it. Randall could not leave his wife
and child; Newton was shortly afterwards
ransomed by friends in England. Winterfield then
communicated his scheme to six other persons,
whom he judged to be sufficient in number
for its execution: John Anthony, a carpenter;
William Adams, a bricklayer; John Jephs, a
seaman; John Wills, a carpenter; and two others
whose employment was to wash small clothes
by the sea-side. From all he exacted an oath
of secrecy. When he broached his idea to his
confederates, it was received with enthusiasm.
He had conceived the model of a boat, to be
formed in parcels and afterwards put together.
This was to be " an ark to deliver them from
their enemies." But, upon a moment's reflection,
many serious difficulties suggested themselves.
"Where was this boat to be built, where
should it be launched, and where put to sea?
How could we escape those Argus eyes which
were ever observing us by day, or how get out
of the city by night, whose walls are so high,
whose gates are so closely shut and strongly
guarded? How should we be rigged and
victualled for so long a voyage, and whither
should we bend our course? How should such
a little skiff, rather than a boat, be able to
weather all the accidents of the sea?" Such
were the grave questions anxiously discussed by
the little party of brave spirits.

Winterfield had an answer for every objection.
The best place to build the boat was his
own cellar; when built, it could be taken to
pieces and conveyed out of the city in parcels,
and stowed in secret places; it would be time
enough to determine where and how to put to
sea, when the vessel was ready; the island of
Minorca was the best place to land at. They first
provided a piece of timber,  twelve feet long,
for the keel. This was cut into two pieces for
conveyance, and fitted to join together again.
Their next care was with the ribs of the boat,
which they contrived thus: Every rib consisted
of three pieces, and joined in two places,
because to convey out of the city a piece of
timber of the size and shape of a rib would have
been liable to suspicion. The joints of these
ribs were not made mortice and tenon, but the
flat sides of one of the pieces was laid over
another, and two holes were bored at every
joint, into which two nails were to be put.
These two holes were not made parallel with
the sides of the pieces, for in that case the
three pieces of each rib would have formed one
straight piece; but they were so disposed that
when both the nails were in, each joint would
make an obtuse angle, and so the rib would
approach the semicircular form. The next thing
wanted, was boarding to clothe the naked ribs.
It was impossible for them to have boards.
The nailing of them on, would have aroused the
Algerine spies; and if they could have been
nailed with safety, they would have rendered it
impossible to take the boat to pieces for
conveyance. They therefore resolved to buy as
much strong canvas as would cover their "boat
twice over, as much pitch, tar, and tallow, as
would make a kind of tarpaulin searcloth, and
earthen pots to melt these materials in. They
fixed a night to execute that part of their labour.
The two carpenters and Winterfield undertook
this service m the cellar. They had stopped all
the crevices, that the steam of the melting
materials might not betray them, there being
no chimney; presently the strong scent that
arose from the work so overcame the captain
that he was compelled to retire into the open
street, where the fresh air overcame him, and
he fell down and bruised his face. There he lay
until his companions fetched him in. Another
of the three was also taken ill, and the work
came to a standstill. At length the door was
set open, they soon recovered, and went to work
and pitched one half that night. The next
night they finished the whole without interruption,
and carried it to the shop, which was
about a furlong from the cellar, where it was
laid up in store. They next had a consultation
about conveying it from, town, and bestowing it
in some trusty place.

As Adams, the bricklayer, had long had
employment outside the town, he was pitched
upon as the fittest person to convey the keel,
especially as he used pieces of similar shape
in levelling his work. Trowel in hand, he
marched cleanly away with one of the pieces
on his shoulder, and hid it in the bottom of
a hedge; to which place he not long
afterwards conveyed the fellow piece. This
succeeding, there was no great difficulty with the
timbers; each of the jointed ribs was folded
up, and their conveyance was entrusted to one of
those whose employment was to wash small
clothes in the sea. He put them into a bag
with his clothes, and stowed them in different
places near the keel. But how to convey the
tarpaulin out of town was much more difficult.
By night it was impossible, and by day the
hazard was great: for the gates were strictly
guarded, the spies pickarooning at every corner,
the streets thronged, the bulk of the canvas
great. At length it was resolved to entrust
this also, to the bag of the washer of clothes: a
pillow being placed upon it to delude the eye of
any one who might open the bag.

They had still many things to provide, among
others, oars were absolutely necessary. They
took two pipe staves, and, slitting them across
from corner to corner with a saw, made " two
rude things" in some degree resembling
oar- blades. They next procured a small quantity
of bread, presuming that their stay at sea
would be but short; for either they should
speedily recover land, or speedily be drowned,
or speedily be brought back. Two goat-skins
of fresh water completed their slender victualling.