ESCAPE. 183 



The untimely fate of the two French- 

 men caused no commiseration, and the 

 justice of their sentence was never dis- 

 puted. Doubtless they intended to cross 

 the Channel in an open boat. a rash 

 and daring deed of itself, and attended 

 with considerable risk, worthy of men 

 desirous of again joining their comrades 

 and worshipping their idol ; but they 

 had put themselves out of the pale of 

 international law first by breaking their 

 parole, and then by perpetrating a crime 

 that made them amenable to the laws 

 of humanity, and the country, of which 

 their victim was a peaceful citizen. 



Some little time after this one of 

 Buonaparte's ablest and most favourite 

 generals attempted the same bold under- 

 taking with success ; of whom more in 

 another chapter. 



