Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/128

 a respectable inhabitant who happened to dine in his company a few days after he had received the mids' first application to be restored to parole,) that he treated escape as utterly impossible and hopeless, and unreservedly spoke of the letter as containing a threat—a mere "gasconade"—"Nous verrons," said he, "si ces blancs-becs peuvent m'échapper." The report of this threat was soon circulated, and when it was really executed, my informant assured me, that no occurrence relating to the prisoners, excited a more general sensation; the whole town was in confusion. All the bloody-minded rabble, were let loose, with multifarious weapons, and "carte blanche," to "massacrer" these lawless "aspirans." Besides which, 500 of the "garde nationale," were dispatched to scour all the woods within five leagues, and an additional reward of 300 livres was offered, for the capture of each of us. The reason for limiting the search to that distance, was a belief of the improbability of our having exceeded it, after the arduous task of undermining, &c.