114 SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT o'bRIEN. 



purpose to search, we could not be discovered. We lay tolerably comfortable 

 until about nine ; when we found that this path-way was very much frequented ; 

 the voices of people passing to and fro ; of children, being Sunday, nutting, 

 &c. was a great annoyance ; however, we had no nut trees immediately close 

 to us, and at noon they all returned to their homes, being their dinner hour. 

 We also took a little refreshment, destroyed our hats, and replaced them with 

 caps a la Francaise, which we had procured. At seven, it being tolerably 

 dusk, we placed our knapsacks, arranged every thing, and commenced oar 

 march N. W., making a direct course through the country, ploughed fields, 

 mountains, marshes, nothing intercepted, or retarded our progress : the hap- 

 piness, we even at this moment felt, was inexpressible ; we considered 

 ourselves literally as regenerated creatures. 



(August 31. 1807.) A little before day-light it began to rain heavily. We 

 discovered a convenient wood, although contiguous to a farm house ; where, 

 after deliberately considering, we resolved to secrete ourselves, lest we might 

 not have another near enough. We accordingly provided ourselves, after a 

 long search, the wood being excessively thin, with a tolerable sort of hiding 

 place. We could distinctly hear the people in the farm-yard conversing, which 

 caused us a little alarm ; our situation all this day was very deplorable. On 

 entering our hiding-place we were wet to the skin, and it continued raining 

 without ceasing until late in the evening ; the wet we received from the 

 branches and leaves was much worse than if we had been in an open field 

 without a tree. Our chief employment was squeezing the water out of our 

 clothes and stockings. Our stock of provisions, which principally consisted of 

 light biscuit and sausages, was very much damaged. At dusk, about the usual 

 hour, seven, after taking a little refreshment, we bundled on our knapsacks 

 and accoutrements, and proceeded the old course, N. W. We walked a good 

 distance this night, the weather being more favourable. 



(September 1. 1807.) A little before daylight we entered a most excellent 

 thick wood, admirably well calculated for night walkers ; took a little refresh- 

 ment, 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, 

 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 per- 

 ceived : the number of squirrels, rats, mice, &c. about us this day was very 

 great. Having made our customary preparations, at seven 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 to the outside of the wood, which 

 occasioned us to halt until they disappeared. We then proceeded with some 

 anxiety, as we saw a village exactly in our track, and 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, by the bye, of a tolerably 

 good length, we found very deep ; in fact it surpassed any conception we could 

 form of it. We surveyed it, marching first in one direction, then in another 

 without coming to any resolution : however, it was evident, that we must 

 cross it. I at length discovered one part which appeared narrower than the 

 rest, which made me resolve to try and leap over it. I accordingly gave 

 myself room for a run to that narrow part, and landed on the opposite side 

 some feet from the edge of the bank; it was not near so broad as it appeared, 

 and knowing that it was excessively deep, made me the more anxious to secure 

 . a good landing, lest I might fall back into it ; the consequence was, the 

 opposite bank being extremely sandy and hard, and the knapsack on my 



