SUFFERINGS OF LIEUTENANT o'bRIEN. 247 



of moistening with water, before I could get them off. 1 then tore a conple 

 of strips from my shirt (whi.h, by the bye, wao now greatly reduced; put 

 some candle-grease on, and applied them to the sore places. My feet being 

 thus dressed (notwithstanding in a very inferior way) I took otf my clothes, 

 and went to bed. Found it a very good one, though peculiar and strange to 

 me ; the custom of this country being to sleep betweei: two feather beds, the 

 larticst in general uppermost; however, 1 had sheets and a counterpane, as in 

 other countries. 



Notwithstanding the excruciating pain of my feet, I never in my life felt 

 so happy as at this moment. 'T is true, the pleasant sensations I felt in th« 

 morning, after crossing the bridge of Khel, were «f such a nature that no pen 

 can describe; but I really thout^lit that the present greatly exceeded them, i 

 found myself now lying on a bed, softer (to rne) than down, with a tolerabl/ 

 easy mind, which to me had been of late a very rare thing— after the many 

 nights and days that I had been the sport of the element?, stretched on the 

 bare ground, under the great canopy of heaven, without food or raiment; in 

 a word, to feel the delights 1 now did, it would have been necessary to have 

 sufiered as I had done. 



1 u<'ed not say, that, after offering up my most sincere thanks to Almighty 

 Cod for his goodness and protection, I fell into a most profound sleep, nor 

 <lid 1 once open my eyes until daylight the next morning, when I found my 

 hf^s exceedingly stiff, and my f«et very sore. It was impossible for me to 

 walk, yet 1 did not like remaining so near the land of tyranny, and the con- 

 federation of the Rhine, where 1 then was, must be too much attached to it. 

 Amidst these thoughts I dressed myself, rubbiug the din off, aud making; 

 myself as spruce as possible. At last I got my shoes on, after a great deal of 

 pain and difficulty, then went down stairs, and ordered some breakfast. The 

 landlord was very civil. I observed that 1 was very stiff in my joints, not 

 having been much accustomed to walking, though 1 had taken it in my head 

 to perform the journey from Frankfort this last time on foot; was going to 

 Basle, in Switzerland, and wanted to get to Friburgh that evening; should be 

 glad if be would procure me a conveyance : he would send to inquire, he said 

 and added, "he could guess what I was." I asked him "what?" he said "a 

 cloth merchant, travelling to procure customers." I admired his penetration! 

 He was very much pleased at discovering what I was. I paid him my bill, 

 which was pretty moderate. He provided me with a kind of voiture, which 

 could only go with me six leagues; this was exactly what I wished, as there 

 was no place of consequence (that I could learn) in that distance. Had I 

 been obliged to take it on to Friburgh 1 intended to have made some excuse, 

 and to have stopped at some village nearer. 



We soon agreed about the price, and 1 got into this substitute for a carriage, 

 the proprietor was postillion ; it was an open machine, made of twigs, wove 

 together basket fashion. The morning was thick, with a drizzling rain ; I 

 borrowed a great coat from the landlord, and off we set; a great change this 

 in my mode of travelling ! 1 had several turnpikes to pay, and 1 confess I 

 was alarmed, fearing they might ask to look at my passport at some of those 

 places; but 1 was agreeably disappointed, my honest driver observing to tliefu 

 that I was, " ein Franchose, going to Basle," which proved sufficient for them, 

 and very gratifying to me. At about four, the driver stopped at a public- 

 house in A small village, to refresh his horse ; nothing particular occurred 

 here. Some Germans however, who were drinking, made several remarks 

 on the strange Frenchman, but the very graceful bow 1 made at leaving the 

 house, excited a roar of laughter from every one therein, aid Franchose ! was 

 Yociferatcd thronghont. 



