After being allowed to remain an hour at the table, the prisoners
were again marched off to their cells.
"I wish we had Mike with us," Desmond said, as he and his comrades
discussed the possibility of escape. "He is a shrewd fellow, and
would probably be allowed greater freedom in moving about the
prison than we are; but I was sure that we should see no more of
him after we left Harwich.
"Of course, the first question is, are we to try bribery, or to
work our way out of this cell?"
"I think that it would be dangerous to try bribery," O'Sullivan
remarked. "Our turnkey is a sour-faced rascal. I am convinced
that, if we were to try to bribe him, he would denounce us at
once. Not from any principle, you know, but because he would think
that it would pay him better to do so, and so obtain promotion and
reward, rather than to accept our money and run the risk of being
detected and hanged."
"I don't blame him," O'Neil said. "He is, as you say, a
sour-looking rascal, but I don't think that he is a fool, and none
but a fool would run that risk for the sake of the money that we
could give him; for, in any case, we should have to retain a
portion of our store, in order to obtain disguises and maintain
ourselves till we could find means of crossing the channel."
"Then let us put that idea altogether aside, O'Neil, and give our
whole attention to the manner in which we are to escape."
"The manner in which we are to try to make our escape!" O'Neil
repeated, with a laugh.
"Well, put it that way if you like. Now, in the first place, there
is the window, in the second the door, and lastly the walls and
floor."
"The door would withstand a battering ram," O'Sullivan said. "I
noticed, as I went out, that it was solid oak some four inches
thick, with two bolts as well as the lock, and, moreover, if we
could get through it we should be no nearer escaping than we are
at present. What with the corridors and passages, and the turnkeys
and the outer gate, that course seems to me impossible.
"Let us come to the second point, the window."
They looked up at it. The sill was fully six feet from the ground.
The window was a little over a foot wide, with a heavy bar running
down the centre, and cross bars.
"The first point is to see where it looks out on," Desmond said.
"I will stand against the wall, and as you are the lighter of the
two, O'Neil, you can stand on my shoulder and have a good look
out, and tell us what you see.
"Give him your hand, O'Sullivan.
"Put your foot on that, O'Neil, and then step on my shoulder."
O'Neil was soon in his place.
"You need not hold me," he said. "The wall is very thick, the bars
are placed in the middle, and there is just room for me to take a
seat on the edge, then I can see things at my ease."
He sat looking out, for a minute or two, before he spoke.
"Well, what can you see?" O'Sullivan asked, impatiently.
"This room is on the outer side of the prison," he said. "I
noticed, as we came in, that it was built along on both sides of
the gate; and, no doubt, this side stands on the city wall."
"Then what do you see?"
"I see the ground, sloping steeply down to a stream that runs
along the bottom of it. There are a good many small houses,
scattered about on the slope and along by the stream. Over to the
left, there is a stone bridge across it. Near this is a large
building, that looks like another prison, and a marketplace with
stalls in it. Houses stand thickly on either side of the road, and
beyond the bridge the opposite side of the slope is covered with
them. Among these are some large buildings.
"If we were once out, there would not be much chance of our being
detected, if we had something to put over our uniforms; but, of
course, they would betray us to the first man we met."
"Yes, of course," O'Sullivan said; "but we might possibly obtain
plain clothes at one of those small houses you speak of, though
that would be risky."
"We might leave our coatees behind us, and go only in our shirts
and breeches; and give out that we had been attacked, and robbed
of our money and coats by footpads," Desmond said.
"That is a good idea," O'Neil agreed. "Yes, that might do,
especially as, after dark, they would not be likely to notice that
our breeches were of a French cut."
"But it seems to me that we are beginning at the wrong end of the
business. It is of no use discussing what we are to do, when we
escape, till we have settled upon the manner in which we are to
get out. Let us talk over that first.
"Are the bars firmly in, O'Neil?"
O'Neil tried, with all his strength, to shake them.
"They are as firm as the walls," he said. "There is no getting
them out, unless we have tools to cut away all the stonework round
them."
"I suppose there is no chance of cutting through them?" O'Sullivan
asked.
"There is not," O'Neil said. "We have not got such a thing as a
knife about us. If we had, we could never saw through these thick
bars; it would take a year of Sundays."
"You are rather a Job's comforter. Now, do you get down, and let
Kennedy and myself have a chance of a breath of fresh air, to say
nothing of the view."
A few minutes satisfied O'Sullivan, but Desmond, when he took his
place, sat there considerably longer; while the other two,
throwing themselves on their pallets, chatted gaily about Paris
and their friends there.
"Well, what conclusions do you arrive at?" they asked, when he
leapt down from his seat.
"They are not very cheering," he replied, "and I recognize fully
that we cannot possibly make our escape, without aid from
without."
"That is the same as to say that we cannot make our escape at
all."
"Not exactly. We have found one unknown friend, who supplied us
with our dinners. There is no absolute reason why we should not
find one who would supply us with means of escape. There must be a
great number of people who sympathize with us, and whose hearts
are with King James. I have seen several men come from the market,
stand and look up at this prison, and then walk off, slowly, as if
they were filled with pity for us. Now, I propose that one of us
shall always be at the window."
"Oh, that is too much!" O'Sullivan said. "That ledge is so narrow
that I could hardly sit there, even holding on by the bars; and as
to stopping there half an hour, I would almost as soon be on the
rack."
"There will be no occasion for that," Desmond said. "We can easily
move one of the pallets under it, pile the other straw beds upon
it, and, standing on these, we could look out comfortably, for our
shoulders would be well above the ledge."
"I don't see that we should be nearer to it, then, Kennedy."
"We should have gained this much: that directly we saw any person
looking up, with a sympathizing air, especially if of a class who
could afford to do what is necessary for us, we could wave our
hands and attract his attention. If disposed to help us, he might
give some sign. If not, no harm would be done. We might, too, tie
a handkerchief to the bars, which in itself might be taken for an
indication that there are followers of the Stuarts here."
"But supposing all this turned out as you suggest it might, how
could even the best disposed friend do anything to help us?"
"That is for after consideration. Let us first find a friend, and
we shall find a way to open communication with him. We have no
paper, but we could write the message on a piece of linen and drop
it down. As far as we can see, from here, there is nothing to
prevent anyone coming up to the foot of the wall below us."
For the next four days, nothing whatever happened. They could see
that the white handkerchief at the bars attracted some attention,
for people stopped and looked up at it, but continued their way
without making any gesture that would seem to show that they
interested themselves, in any way, in the matter.
On the fourth day, Desmond, who was at the window, said in a tone
of excitement:
"There is a man down there who, after looking fixedly in this
direction, is making his way towards us. He does not come
straight, but moves about among the houses; but he continues to
approach. I can't make out his face yet, but there is something
about him that reminds me of Mike; though how he could be here,
when we left him in the prison at Harwich, is more than I can
say."
O'Neil and O'Sullivan in turn looked through the window. Not being
so much accustomed as he was to Mike's figure and walk, they could
not recognize in the man, in the dress of a country peasant, the
well-set-up soldier who attended on Desmond. Both admitted,
however, that in point of figure it might well be the man.
"If it is," Desmond said, "all our difficulties are at an end, and
I will wager that we shall be free in three or four days. Now, how
are we to communicate with him?"
"I have a piece of paper in my pocket. It is only an old bill, and
they threw it down, contemptuously, when they searched me," O'Neil
said. "I picked it up again. I hardly know why, except perhaps
that the idea occurred to me that, some day, I might get a chance
of paying it. But as we have no ink, nor pen, nor charcoal, I
don't see how it can benefit us."
He drew the bill from the pocket of his coatee. Desmond took it,
and stood looking at it in silence for a minute. Then an idea
occurred to him.
"I have it!" he exclaimed, presently. "O'Neil, see if you can get
a piece of this gold wire off my facings. I want it five or six
inches long, so that when it is doubled up and twisted together,
so as to be an inch long, it will be stiff enough for our
purpose."
Somewhat puzzled, O'Neil did as he was requested. Desmond
straightened out the fine wire wrapped round the centre thread,
doubled, and again doubled it, and finally twisting it together,
reduced it to a length of about an inch, and the thickness of a
pin. The others looked on, wondering what was his intention.
He held the paper out before him, and began pricking small holes
through it, close together. He continued to work for some time,
and then held it up to the light. The others understood the nature
of his work, and they could now read:
Come ten tonight under window. Bring long thin string. Whistle. We
will lower thread. Tie end of string to it. Will give further
instructions.
He tore off the portion of the bill on which the message was
written, twisted off two of the buttons of his coatee, folded them
in the paper, and took his place at the window again. The man who
had been watching was standing some sixty feet from the foot of
the wall. His back was towards them. Presently he turned,
carelessly looked up at the window, and then, as if undecided what
to do, took off his cap and scratched his head.
"It is Mike, sure enough," Desmond exclaimed, and, thrusting his
hand through the bars, waved it for a moment.
Then, taking the little packet, he dropped it. Mike put on his hat
again, turned round, then looked cautiously to see that no one was
noticing him, and strolled, in an aimless and leisurely way,
towards the wall. Desmond could no longer see him, but felt sure
that he would find the missive.
Presently he came in sight again, walking quietly away. He did not
look round; but when nearly at the bottom of the hill turned,
lifted one hand, and disappeared behind some houses.
"He can't read," Desmond said, "but I have no doubt he will get
someone to do it for him."
A vigilant watch was kept up, but nothing was seen of Mike, till
late in the afternoon, when he emerged into one of the open
spaces. They had now taken the handkerchief down from the window,
and, directly they saw him, Desmond waved it, showing that they
were watching him. He threw up his arm, turned, and disappeared
again.
"He has made out my message," Desmond said. "We may expect him
here at ten o'clock."
While he had been watching, his two comrades had, under his
instructions, been unravelling a portion of one of their blankets.
When enough thread had been obtained, the strands were tied
together and doubled, and Desmond had little doubt that it was
sufficiently strong to draw up the string Mike would bring with
him. He now took another portion of the bill, and pricked upon it
the words:
At nine tomorrow night, bring, if possible, fine steel saw, two
files, and small bottle of oil. Fasten these to string we will
lower with further instructions.
He then opened his coatee, took out some of the white wool with
which it was padded, formed this into a loose ball, in the centre
of which the note was fastened, and all being in readiness, waited
patiently, until, just as the city clock struck ten, they heard a
low whistle. The ball had already been attached to the end of the
thread, and Desmond at once lowered it down.
Presently, they heard another whistle and, hauling at it again,
they found that the ball had gone, and attached to the end of the
thread was a very light silken cord, which they drew in. There was
another low whistle, and all was silent.
"So far, so good," Desmond said. "We are fairly on our way to
liberty. How long do you suppose it will take us to cut through
these bars?"
"It would take us a long while to file through them all," O'Neil
said, "but with a fine steel saw, I should think that a couple of
nights' work should do it. But of course that is mere guesswork,
for I have not the least idea how fast even the best saw could cut
through iron."
"Well, there is no particular hurry, for we know that no day has
been fixed yet for our trial. So, whether it is one night or six,
it does not matter much."
On the following evening at nine o'clock the whistle was heard,
and another ball lowered down at the end of the string. The
instructions this time were:
When we are ready, we will show a handkerchief at window. Bring
with you, at nine that evening, rope strong enough to bear us, and
have disguises for three ready for us at foot of wall. Herewith
are ten louis to purchase three disguises.
The cord brought up a small packet, which contained two very fine
small steel saws, two files, and the oil. They did not lose a
moment in setting to work, and, oiling the saws, one began to cut
through the central bar, just above the point where the lowest
cross bars went through it, as they determined to leave these to
fasten the rope to. There was not room for two of them to work
together, and they agreed to take it by turns, changing every
quarter of an hour.
To their great satisfaction, they found that the saw did its work
much more quickly than they had expected, and by the time each had
had a turn the bar was cut through; and by morning the side bars
had also all been cut. They did not attempt to cut the main bar
higher up, as, had they done so, it would have been difficult to
keep the portion cut out in its place.
When it was light, they filled up all the cuts with bread, which
they had managed to secrete in the palms of their hands at dinner.
This they kneaded into a sort of putty, rolled it in the dust of
the floor until black, and then squeezed it into the interstices.
"There is no fear of their noticing it," O'Neil said, when they
had finished. "I cannot see the cuts myself from the floor, though
I know where they are; and unless they were to climb up there, and
examine the place very closely, they would not see anything
wrong."
"Shall we hang out the flag today, Kennedy?"
"I think we had better wait till tomorrow. He will be hardly
expecting to see it, today, and may not be ready with the rope and
disguises."
The next morning the signal was hung out. They saw nothing of
Mike, but as he would be able to make out the handkerchief from a
considerable distance, they had no doubt whatever that he had
observed it, but thought it prudent not to show himself near the
prison again. As soon as it was dark they recommenced work, and
had cut through the main bar, and cautiously lowered the grating
to the ground, before the clock struck nine. Then, on hearing
Mike's signal, they lowered the cord, and soon brought up a rope
which, although small, was more than strong enough to support
them.
"We had better tie some knots in it," Desmond said. "They will
help us to avoid sliding down too rapidly. If it was a thick rope,
I think we could manage without them; but, not being sailors, I do
not think that we could grasp this tightly enough."
"How close shall we put them, Kennedy?"
"About two feet apart. Then we can come down hand over hand,
helping our arms by twisting our legs round it.
"Now," he went on, when they had finished the knots, "who will go
down first?"
"You had better do so," O'Sullivan said. "You are the lightest of
us, and, I fancy, the strongest, too."
"Very well. I don't think that it will make any difference, for
the rope is strong enough to hold the three of us together.
However, here goes. We may as well leave our coatees behind us.
They might get us into difficulties, if we took them."
So saying, he took off his coat, fastened the end of the rope
securely to the bars that had been left for the purpose, and,
holding it firmly, made his way through the opening and swung
himself over. With his muscles strengthened by military exercises
and sword practice, he found it easier work than he had expected.
The depth was some sixty feet, and in a couple of minutes his feet
touched the ground.
Mike had been hanging on by the rope to steady it, and as Desmond
descended, he seized him by the hand and shook it enthusiastically,
murmuring brokenly, "My dear master, thank God that you are free!"
"Thanks to you also, my dear fellow. Now, hold on again. My
friends O'Neil and O'Sullivan shared my cell with me, and are
following me."
He added his weight to that of Mike, and it was not long before
O'Neil came down; but not so quietly as Desmond had done, for his
strength had failed him, and the rope had slipped rapidly through
his fingers, and Mike and Desmond narrowly escaped being knocked
down by the suddenness with which the descent was made. He stood
for a minute, wringing his hand, and swearing in an undertone in
English, Irish, and French.
"By the powers," he said, "it has taken the skin off the inside of
my hands, entirely! A red-hot poker could not have done it more
nately!
"Mike, you rascal, what are you laughing at? I have a mind to
break your bones before thanking you."
O'Sullivan succeeded better, but was completely exhausted when he
joined his friends.
"Now, Mike, where are the disguises?"
"Here they are, your honour. They are just like my own. Loose
coats, rough breeches, white stockings and buckled shoes, and soft
hats with wide brims. I thought that you would pass better, like
that, than in any other way; for if you were dressed up as
citizens, your tongues might betray you, for somehow they don't
speak English as we do; and whenever I open my mouth, they
discover that I am an Irishman."
Desmond laughed.
"There would be no difficulty about that. Now, let us put on our
disguises at once, and be off. Sometimes the turnkeys take it into
their heads to look in during the night, and we had to keep one on
watch while we were at work, and take to our beds when we heard a
footstep approaching.
"I see you have brought shoes. I forgot to mention them. Our jack
boots would have attracted attention, so we have left them behind
us, after getting our stores of money from their hiding places."
They were soon dressed.
"What are we supposed to be, Mike?"
"You are sedan chair men, sir. Most of the chairs are carried by
Irishmen, who seem to be stronger in the leg than these London
folk. You will have to cut your hair short, and then you will pass
without observation."
"Where are you taking us to?" Desmond asked, as they descended the
hill.
"I have got a lodging in a house out in the fields. I said that I
was an Irishman who had come to London in search of employment,
and that I expected three friends to join me, and that we intended
to hire chairs and carry the gentry about, for here they seem too
lazy to walk, and everyone is carried; though it is small blame to
them, for dirtier streets I never saw. They are just full of
holes, where you go in up to the knee in mud and filth of all
kinds. Faith, there are parts of Paris which we can't say much
for, but the worst of them are better than any here, except just
the street they call Cheapside, which goes on past Saint Paul's,
and along the Strand to Westminster."
"What have you brought these sticks for, Mike?"
For he had handed, to each, a heavy bludgeon.
"Sure, your honour, 'tis not safe to be in the streets after
nightfall. It is like that part of Paris where no dacent man could
walk, without being assaulted by thieves and cutthroats. Dressed
as we are, it is not likely anyone would interfere with us in the
hope of finding money on us, but they are not particular at all,
at all, and a party of these rascals might try to roll us in the
mire, just for fun. So it is as well to be prepared."
However, they met with no interruption, passed out through Holborn
Bars, and soon arrived at the house where Mike had taken a
lodging. They were not sorry, however, that they were armed, for,
several times, they heard outbursts of drunken shouting and the
sound of frays.
Mike had hired two rooms. In one of these were three straw beds,
for the officers. He himself slept on a blanket on the floor of
the other room, which served as kitchen and sitting room.
Now, for the first time, they were able to talk freely.
"Mike, we have not said much to you, yet," Desmond began, "but I
and these gentlemen are fully conscious that you have saved us
from death, for we hear that Government is determined to push
matters to the extremity, and to have all the officers captured
condemned to be hanged."
"Bad cess to them!" Mike exclaimed, indignantly. "If I had two or
three of them, it's mighty little they would talk of execution,
after I and me stick had had a few minutes' converse with them.
"As to the getting you out, I assure you, your honour, there is
little I have done, except to carry out your orders. When I first
saw the prison, and the little white flag flying from the window,
I said to myself that, barring wings, there was no way of getting
to you; and it was only when I got your first letter that I saw it
might be managed. Faith, that letter bothered me, entirely. I took
it to the woman downstairs, and asked her to read it for me,
saying that I had picked it up in the street, and wondered what it
was about. She was no great scholar, but she made out that it was
writ in a foreign language, and seemed to her to be a bit of an
old bill. When I took it up to my room, I looked at it every way.
I knew, of course, that it was a message, somehow, but devil a bit
could I see where it came in.
"I fingered it for an hour, looking at it in every way, and then I
saw that there were some small holes pricked. Well, I could not
ask the woman what they meant, as I had told her I picked it up;
so I went across to an Irishman, whose acquaintance I had made the
day before, and who had recommended me, if I wanted work, to hire
one of these chairs and get a comrade to help me carry it. I could
see that he was a man who had seen better days. I expect he had
come over in the time of the troubles, and had been forced to earn
his living as he could; so I went to him.
"'I have got a message,' I said, 'pricked on a piece of paper. I
picked it up, and am curious-like to know what it is about.'
"So he held it up to the light, and read out your message.
"'I think,' says he, 'it is some colleen who has made an
appointment with her lover. Maybe she has been shut up by her
father, and thought it the best way to send him a message.'
"'That is it, no doubt,' says I; 'and it is plain that it never
came to his hand.'
"The next day, I went to him again with the second letter.
"'It's lying you have been to me,' he said. 'It is some plot you
are concerned in.'
"'Well,' says I, 'you are not far wrong. I have some friends who
have suffered for the Stuarts, and who have been laid by the leg,
and it's myself who is trying to get them out of the hands of
their persecutors.'
"'In that case, I am with you,' he said, 'for I have suffered for
the cause myself; and if you want assistance, you can depend upon
me.'
"'Thank you kindly,' says I. 'Just at present it is a one man job,
but maybe, if I get them out, you will be able to give us some
advice as to how we had best manage.'
"So that is how it stands, your honour."
"And now, tell us how you got away, Mike. You may guess how
surprised we were, when we first made you out, believing that you
were safe under lock and key at Harwich."
"The matter was easy enough," Mike said. "It took me two or three
days to get to understand the position of the place, with water
all round it except on one side; and it was plain that, if I were
to start running, it is little chance I should have if I did not
hit upon the right road. Luckily, they were mounting some cannon
the day after you were taken away. We were ordered to go out and
lend a hand, so it was not long before I learnt enough to know
which road I ought to take. I was always a good runner, your
honour, and many a prize have I carried off, at fairs in the old
country, before troubles began. So it seemed to me that, if I
could have anything of a start, I ought to be able to get off.
"There was nearly half a mile betwixt the town and the place where
the narrow ground, at whose end it stood, widened out into the
country. If I could only hold my own, as far as that, I could take
to the woods and lanes and save myself.
"A guard of soldiers, with muskets and bayonets, went out with us,
and at the end of the second day I managed to slip off, and hide
behind a pile of cannonballs. The rest assembled at a spot about
fifty yards away, to be counted before they marched to prison
again. As soon as the others had got there, and the guards had
gathered round, I went off as hard as I could tear. And a good
start I should have got, if it hadn't been that a sentry on a fort
close by fired his piece at me. Still, I had a good hundred yards'
start.
"The guards set to, to run after me, and when they got in sight of
me fired their guns; but they were flurried, and the bullets flew
past without one of them touching me. Then I felt pretty safe. If
they stopped to load their muskets, I should get clean away. If,
as I expected, they would not stop for that, they would not have a
chance with me, carrying their muskets and cartridge boxes and
belts. I had taken off my coatee and boots, while I was waiting
for the start, and went up the hill like a deer.
"I did not look round, till I got to the top. Then I found that I
had gained a hundred yards of them. I doubled down a lane, at
once, and then struck through some orchards; and ran, without
stopping, maybe a couple of miles.
"I never heard any more of the soldiers, and knew that, for the
present, I was safe, though maybe they would send some dragoons to
scour the country when the news came in. I went on at a jog trot
till it was quite dark; then I sat down to think what I should do
next.
"I had got my four louis with me, for they hadn't found them when
they searched me. The first thing was to get some duds, and I
walked along till I saw a light in a cottage, which I entered.
There were two women there. I told them at once that I wanted
clothes, and was ready to pay for them; but that, if they would
not give them to me for money, I should take them without paying.
Though I could see that they doubted the payment, and regarded me
as a robber, they brought out the clothes, which belonged, one of
the women said, to her husband. I took what I wanted.
"'Now,' I said, 'how much shall I pay you for these?'
"They were still terribly frightened, and said that I was welcome.
However, I put one of my louis down on the table. This was
certainly more than the clothes ever cost, so I said:
"'Here is a gold piece, but I want a shilling in change, to buy
food with.'
"At first, they evidently hardly thought that I was in earnest.
Then at last, when they found that I really intended to give the
money, they brightened up, and not only gave me a shilling in
change, but offered me some bread and cheese, which I was glad
enough to take.
"Then I put the clothes on over my own, not wishing to lave
anything behind that would show searchers that it was I who had
been there. I told the woman that the coin was a French one, but
that it was worth about the same as an English guinea. I advised
them to put it away, for the present, and not to try and change it
for a few weeks, as enquiries might be made as to how they had
obtained it.
"I had no difficulty on my way up to London. I avoided the main
road till I got to Colchester, and after that walked boldly on,
having money to pay for victuals. When I got to town, I changed
another of my louis at a money changer's. He asked me where I had
got it, and when I said that it was no business of his, but that
it had been paid me by a French Huguenot gentleman, who had lately
arrived, and for whom I had been doing some work; and as there are
many of these Huguenots in London, he was satisfied, and changed
it for me.
"I then fell across the Irish porter I told you of. He told me
whereabouts I could get lodgings, and advised me to apply to one
of the men who let out a number of sedan chairs, to hire one out
to me by the week.
"Well, your honour, once I had taken the lodging, I thought no
more of the chair, but went about the business for which I had
come to London. I had not been an hour in the town before I made
the acquaintance of half a dozen, at least, of my countrymen, and
found out which was the prison in which you were kept. At first, I
thought of going there and giving myself up, on condition that I
might be employed as your servant. Then I thought, perhaps they
would not keep their word to me, but would send me back to
Harwich; and then the thought struck me that I might, some way or
other, get your honours out of prison.
"When I first saw the place, it seemed to me that it was
impossible. The place was mighty strong, the windows all barred,
and I had no means of finding out where you were lodged. I spent a
whole day in prowling round and round the jail, but sorra an idea
came into my thick head, though I bate it wid my fists till it was
sore; for, says I to myself, there is no lock so strong but it can
be picked, if you do but know the right way. It was the second
day, when I espied a little bit of white stuff at one of the
windows. It might be a signal, or it might not, and even if it
was, there was no reason why it should be yours, except that, I
said to myself:
"'Mr. Kennedy is not the boy to sit quiet in prison, if he can see
any possible way of slipping out of it. His head is crammed full
of ideas. So I will walk near and investigate the matter.'
"As I came close, I could make out that there was someone behind
the bars, but I could not see who it was. Of course, I did not
come straight to the spot, but went about promiscuously.
"For anything I could tell, there might be someone in the towers
watching me. Then I saw a hand drop a little white parcel, and I
found it without much trouble and went off with it. It was as much
as I could do, to keep myself from running like a madman, for I
felt somehow sure that it was you who had dropped it, but of
course, it was not until I got it read for me that I was certain.
"After that, your honour, it was all easy enough. You told me what
to do, and I did it. There was a little difficulty about the saw,
but I got it through one of the chair men, who told me, when I
asked him, that he had the acquaintance of some cracksmen--more
shame to him--and that he could get such a thing as I wanted
through them. I was not surprised, for I had already heard that
many of the chair men worked in connection with the bad
characters, letting them know which way they were coming with
people from an entertainment, and carrying them down lanes where
there was little chance of the watch interfering.
"It went against the grain to have dealings with such a man, for I
was born of honest people, but if the ould gentleman himself had
offered me a couple of saws, and I knew that I would have to give
him a thousand years extra of purgatory, I would have closed with
the bargain. Those two saws cost me another louis, and cheap
enough, too.
"After that, it was all plain sailing, and the money you lowered
to me was much more than sufficient for all the other things. And
now, what is your honour going to do next?"
"That is more than I can tell you, Mike. We must talk it over."
This was a matter that they had already discussed, in their cell,
after they had once made their preparations for flight. Closely
watched as they were, when with the other officers, it would have
been impossible to communicate their plans to them; but, even if
they could have done so, they could see no possible way in which
the others could share in their escape. Doubtless the doors of
their cells were also strong and heavy, and, could all these
difficulties have been overcome, there would have been passages,
corridors, and staircases to traverse, with the certainty of
meeting with some of the night watchmen who patrolled them, and
they would finally have had to force the door into their cell.
They were, therefore, reluctantly obliged to abandon the hope of
liberating their friends, and decided that, once away, they must
endeavour to cross to France without delay. The king would
doubtless have been, before now, informed by his agents in London
of the determination of the English Government to bring all the
prisoners to execution, but nevertheless, it would be their duty
to obtain an audience, and implore him to take steps to save them.
They would therefore, on their arrival in Paris, at once see
General Hamilton, and other officers of rank, and beg them to
accompany them to Versailles to act as spokesmen, and to influence
the king in their favour.