112 SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT o'jiRIEN. 



.recovered during the period of the heptarchy, they * 

 maintained until all England became united into one 

 kingdom, under Egbert. 



From "The Antiquities and Institutions of Okehampton," a work of ster- 

 ling merit, now being published in monthly numbers. 



SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT D. O'BRIEN, R. N. 



Continued from page 55, 



November, 1807. To prevent suspicion, I walked boldly on the road : it 

 rained excessively heavy, and I was «ure that nobody who had any possi- 

 bility of remaining under cover would interrupt me. After advancing a short 

 distance^ on turning baclc, I observed my friend, the tailor, with all the rest, 

 watching which way I went. 1 therefore continued the road, until 1 lost 

 sight of the house. Thus, hungry and wet, I proceeded, tolerably well 

 pleased at getting so well off. I now discovered a high mountain covered 

 with rocks and pines contiguous to the road. I imagined I should find a 

 more hospitable retreat in some cavern among those rocks, than the recent 

 one which my fellow creatures occupied ; and not wi^thing to remain exposed 

 any longer on the highway, I scrambled up, and reached the summit: theie 

 1 found an excellent dry cavern under an immense rock. I crept into it, and 

 shortly fell into a profound sleep, in which state 1 remained, until I was 

 awoke by the grunting of hogs that came to banish the unfortunate and 

 forlorn usurper, who had so illegally taken possession of their habitation. 

 1 found it quite dusk, and about the time I should commence my march. So 

 after looking at these animals, grateful for the benefits 1 had received in their 

 cave, 1 descended, and got on the Strasbourgh road, and kept running, with 

 little intermission, the whole of the night, notwithstanding the excruciating 

 pain 1 felt from my blistered feet. 



About midnight, having halted to listen if there were any noi;se, or footsteps 

 to be heard on the road, 1 plainly discovered, by the cracking of whips, that 

 a coach or waggon was advancing; 1 therefore retired a few steps from the 

 road side, and lay close down, it passed, and appeared to be a diligence, or 

 the heavy travelling coach. 1 resumed my route, kept running on, and 

 parsed several villages, until a little before da> -light, conjecturing that I 

 could not be far from the Rhine. 1 secured my lodging in a wood for the 

 ensuing day ; formed another sniig cavern imder a rock, on the top of a 

 precipice, got into it, and after regaling myself with a few cabbage stumps, 

 which I had procured in passing the villages, I feel asleep. 



My spirits were extremely agitated during the whole night, I awoke 

 frequently, by talking quite loud, and naming the gentlemen that had been 

 my former companions ; holding conversation with them, as if they were 

 actually present. About two hours after I had entered the above mentioned 

 cavern, 1 started up all of a sudden, and desired my companions to rise and 

 renew their march : when, on looking round, I recollected myself— found 1 

 must have been (ireaming— and, to my inexpressible amazement, discovered, 

 that 1 was actually at the bottom of the precipice, and that it was quite day- 



* The inhabitants seem to have betn known by the designa- 

 tion of Defnsoettas, or Devnscettas, 



