Neither the French nor the Spanish were fully fed, but by the deliberate vote of Parliament the Americans received half a pound of bread less per man each day than did the French and Spanish. At one time prisoners escaped by tunnelling under the prison walls, and in London got on board a vessel bound for Dunkirk. But a press-gang found them and dragged them back to the jail. Among their number was Master’s Mate Richard Dale. A year after he was recaptured he procured a British uniform. How he got it he would never tell, not even when the war was over, and it is therefore not unlikely that a woman brought it to him. With that on, he walked out of the jail in open day and escaped. Meantime another American cruiser had been at work on the British coasts with notable results. The American commissioners in France had purchased a fast cutter, which they equipped as a man-of-war. They named her the _Surprise_, and that proved to be a very appropriate name. Capt. Gustavus Connyngham was placed in charge of her, his commission being one of the blank ones which had been given to the commissioners to fill out at their own discretion. It was dated March 1, 1777, and Captain Connyngham got away to sea on May 1st, but he had a deal of trouble before he found himself fairly afloat. To avoid complications with the French government he was obliged to send ashore all his cannon and warlike supplies and load his vessel with merchandise for Norway. In this way he left port. Then, when well outside, he met by appointment a vessel that had his equipment and crew, and effected a transfer. But the government had suspected that he was going to do this, and had compelled him to give bonds not to do it. Two men were hired to sign the bond, but one of them found he had made a bad bargain, even though he had signed it with his eyes open, for when the first prize made by the _Surprise_ came in he was haled away to the Bastile, while the prize, in which he was to have a share, no doubt, was given up to the English without legal process. The names of the bondsmen are recorded simply as “Allen and Hodge.” Hodge was the chief unfortunate, but he was released after six weeks. The prize was the ship _Joseph_. She was captured the third day out. Four days later (May 7th), while cruising off the coast of Holland, the _Surprise_ fell in with the British packet brig _Prince of Orange_, carrying the mail to the north of Europe, and having a number of passengers on board. It is likely that no ship’s company were ever more completely surprised than were the people on the _Prince of Orange_. It was early in the forenoon when the _Surprise_ came alongside and carried the packet by boarding. Not a gun was fired, and so little noise was made that not a soul below decks knew that anything out of the usual course was occurring until the Yankee captain coolly walked down the companionway and found the captain of the _Prince of Orange_ and his passengers eating breakfast very comfortably.