Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp4.djvu/253

 , the most watchful and cautious amongst us were liable to be entrapped. We fortunately escaped their unnatural and detestable snares.”

The desired and long wished for moment at length arrived, Messrs. O’Brien, Ashworth, Tuthill, and Easel (the latter a naval lieutenant, who wished to be off also), met agreeably to appointment. Every thing was favorable and quiet; and in a very few minutes, with the assistance of their rope and a friend, they got down the ramparts, about 72 feet high, with very little injury, except losing some of the skin off their hands. Each had his knapsack, &c. properly placed: their course was N.W. which they carefully followed, over ploughed fields, mountains, and marshes – nothing was allowed to interrupt their progress. The happiness they, even at this moment felt, was inexpressible; they considered themselves “literally as regenerated creatures.” Their stock of provisions principally consisted of light biscuit and sausages; their hats were destroyed before day-light in a wood near Varennes, and replaced with caps á la Française. Captain O’Brien thus describes a very serious accident he met with, on the morning of Sept. 1st., and his consequent sufferings.

“Just before day-light we entered a most excellent thick wood, admirably well calculated for night-walkers; took some refreshment, and endeavoured to sleep a little after the fatigues of the night, and after congratulating one another at being thus far successful. At about ten o’clock, we were alarmed by the voices of people apparently close to us. We found that they were passing on an adjacent path-way, which we had not before discovered; but we were too well placed to be under any dread of being perceived. The number of squirrels, rats, mice, &c. about us this day was very great. Having made our customary preparations, at seven, the usual hour for starting, we got out of our lurking hole, and proceeded to the border of the wood, on that side towards which we had to direct our course. On our arrival, we discovered some labourers still at work, in a field close by, which occasioned us lo halt until they disappeared. We then proceeded with some anxiety, as we saw a village exactly in our tract, which we could not avoid without making a very great circuit. In about two hours after we had quitted the wood, we found our course suddenly impeded by a ditch or moat, which upon sounding with our clubs, that were of a tolerably good