Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/161

 *termined to go again that night, so as to be on the beach at half flood. We, accordingly, departed towards midnight, and rendezvoused at his house; his daughters keeping watch at the doors, for it appeared all the family were in the secret. Leaving my friends there, I went with Winderkins to the beach, and found the vessels as he had represented, except one, which was moored with five hawsers, about pistol shot from the fort, just to the eastward of a jetée. I got on board to examine her sails, and to see that every thing necessary could be got ready in an instant. I found that the wind, being nearly on shore, we should be obliged to make aboard to the eastward, which, in a flat bottomed craft, without sufficient ballast, the ropes and sails all covered with frozen snow, and a good deal of swell upon the beach, would have been of very doubtful issue: should, however, the wind shift only two points, there was a chance of success. With this information I returned to my comrades, and we all went down to the beach, there watching the