order to surround us, gave the alarm: wc immediately made a resolute rush directly across, leaving our knapsacks, and every thing but the clothes on our backs, in the vessel; the summit was gained just in time to slip over on the other side unseen. We ran along the hills towards Blankenberg for about a hundred yards, when, mistaking a broad ditch for a road, I fell in, but scrambled out on the opposite side. Mansell, who was close at my heels, thinking that I had jumped in on purpose, followed; this obliged the others to jump also. Having regained the Raie-de-Chat, we related the heart-rending disaster to Madame Derikre. Fearing, from the many articles left in the vessel, that some of them would give a clue to our late abode, and be the means of causing a strict search, she was desired to destroy every thing that could lead to discovery, or suspicion; then taking all the bread in the house, and leaving Mansell there, the rest immediately set out for a wood on the other side of Bruges, where we arrived a little before daylight.[1]
“Not having had time to dry our clothes at the Raie-de-Chat, we were in a most deplorable state, shivering with cold, and wet to the skin; the tails of our jackets solid boards of ice, and not a shoe amongst us worthy the name. In this wood we remained three days, each succeeding hour seeming to redouble the sufferings of the last.”
During the above period, the Raie-de-Chat was twice searched most minutely, by 36 gens-d’armes and police officers, but who, fortunately for Madame Derikre, found nothing to corroborate their suspicions. Speaking of his subsequent sojourn in another wood, about two miles to the eastward of that house, Mr. Boys says:
- ↑ Mr. Mansell was then about to visit Bruges, disguised as a girl, and did not again join his fellow fugitives.