into a loathsome ditch, in which she remained an hour, terrified, and
unable to move. At length, a handsome youth passed, and she implored him
to rescue her. She did not implore in vain; the young man assisted her
out, cleaned her clothes, and comforted her with pleasant words. They
then proceeded to a delightful bower, put on costly attire, and the
youth regaled the rescued lady with delicious fruits, and sang sonnets
on her personal beauty. Sophronia awoke, sad and disappointed, to find
that her late bliss was only a dream. In a day or two afterwards, the
Turkish army appeared, and a vigorous siege commenced; nevertheless, the
Christians stoutly defended the place, and would, ultimately, have
obliged the enemy to retire, had no intervention taken place. It
happened, unfortunately for the garrison, that a gallant Turkish
captain, in the prime of youth, called Abdurachman approached so near to
the castle gates, as to be plainly observed by the fair Sophronia, from
a small turret window, out of which she had viewed the besiegers. The
lady imagined this captain to be the person to whom she was so much
obliged in her dream, and rejoiced at the supposed discovery; she hoped
that the assailants would be successful in taking her father's castle
that she might have an opportunity of falling into the hands of the
gallant captain she so greatly admired. The siege still raged with much
fury, but was continually repulsed by the brave Christians, insomuch
that the Turkish general became disconcerted, and in the evening of the
third day after the commencement of the siege, retired to his camp,
about a league distant from the scene of action. Sophronia, meanwhile,
was agitated at the ill success of the Turks, though she did not despair
of seeing the captain again.

She made a confidante of her maid Annis, who undertook, daring as the
attempt was, to steal from the castle to the enemy's camp, in order to
convey a letter from her mistress to Abdurachman. The intrepid Annis