reward, they allowed us to go into a barn-loft full of
straw. We were particularly obliged to them, and perfectly
contented with this apartment ; but, when nearly settled,
and each had got covered over with straw, to our great
mortification and annoyance, the owner came, having
repented of his granting permission to enter it, and insisted
upon our instantly quitting his premises. All our rhetoric
with this fellow was in vain. So we were compelled to
quit our habitation about eleven o'clock, and walk towards
another more respectable village. We inquired of a
shepherd, on entering this place, if he could direct us to a
public-house; and he pointed out one to us. We pro-
ceeded, but with little hopes of escaping from being dis-
covered or arrested. However, we determined to call for a
private room the moment we arrived at the cabaret, being
in hopes (if we could avoid police officers in passing to a
private apartment) we might stand a chance of remaining
unnoticed until night. In this we succeeded ; and, being
supplied with refreshments, we were provided with a suit-
able apartment immediately. The only person in the
house was a girl of about eighteen years of age, who made
us a comfortable fire, and shook up two beds, that we
might rest a little if we pleased. Seeing that there was
no danger, we pretended to be quite at our ease, and
coolly asked her where her father and mother were. She
replied, " That the former was watching the sheep outside
84 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN O'BRIEN
of the village, and that the latter was gone to Staples."
We found by her description of her father that he was
the very man who had directed us to her. She asked us,
"If we were not conscripts going to the camp of
Boulogne ? " We answered in the affirmative ; and begged
her not to let anybody enter our room, as we had several
things to settle amongst ourselves and wished to be in
private. She promised to obey us; but little did her
acquiescence bring confidence or comfort, when she added
that there was at that moment a gendarme in the kitchen
in the disguise of a peasant. This was enough to render
us tremulous. But even this was not all ; for she informed
us that this gendarme had just come from Boulogne with
a party, in order to procure forage for the gendarmes'
horses there. We had evidently got into a hornet's nest,
or almost within the jaws of the lion ; but, preserving as
much the appearance of tranquillity as possible, we
informed her that we had not the least desire to see any-
body but her father, with whom we wished to have some
conversation. She promised to send for him as soon as her
guest in the kitchen had quitted the house. The " soon "
was devoutly to be wished ; and glad were we when, in a
short time, we were told that he had taken his departure.
The girl now sent for her father ; and her mother also
returned. We were in great hopes that, as these people
were very poor, we might be able to induce them to pro-
cure us a boat, through the medium of some of their
friends, the fishermen on the coast, who might not be
temptation-proof, or impervious to the influence of a few
louls cfor. Convinced that nothing much could be accom-
plished without this all-powerful metal, each of us began
to search in the different parts of his garments for his due
ESSEL'S LOSS OF MONEY 85
proportion. We had been obliged to take the precaution
of stitching what gold coin we had in the seams of our
clothes, that we might not lose it in the event of our
being arrested. To our great sorrow and, I may add,
astonishment Mr. Essel discovered that his gold coin, to
the amount of 4<5 sterling, had slipped out of a pad
which he had contrived for the purpose of concealing it,
and which he had always worn round his neck in his neck-
handkerchief; nor could he recollect having untied it but
once since we set out, and that was at the worthy baker's
cottage, where he suspected he had left it. This baker
had appeared to be an honest man, and, as I have already
observed, had behaved excessively kindly to us. It was
possible that the money might have been left there with-
out our host having seen it until after our departure ;
but the poor fellow could have no opportunity of restoring
the treasure to its right and now embarrassed owner. The
loss was to us, at that moment, very distressing, but not
irreparable, as we still had a tolerably good sum, and
Lieutenant Essel and myself had two gold watches,
sufficient, as we trusted, to inspirit the shepherd and
induce him to assist us. He at length arrived; when,
after taking every feasible means of enjoining secrecy, we
disclosed our situation, object, and what we were, and
promised to reward him very liberally, provided he could
procure us a conveyance across the Channel. We were
certain, we observed, that he must have a number of sea-
faring acquaintances on the coast, and we would make it
well worth their trouble to assist us. He hesitated very
much at first; but, having shown him a purse, and repeating
our promises of reward, he assured us he would try every
possible means, and he declared that, at all events, we were
86 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN O'BRIEN
perfectly safe under his roof, and that he would proceed to
see what he could accomplish. We were greatly elated,
and were almost certain of succeeding, from his not raising
any obstacles. Our anxiety for this fellow's return is not
to be described : every individual that passed appeared to
be somebody he had sent, or was about to bring, to agree
with us for our passage. The much-wished-for moment,
as we thought, at length arrived, when the old shepherd,
with a demure countenance, opened our door, and, having
closed it again with the utmost caution, began to inform
us, " That all his search to procure a boat had been in-
effectual; that the fishermen along the coast were con-
strained to bring their boats to Staples and lay them up
there, whence they dared not move without a passport
from the commandant of the town, as well as a soldier as a
guard in each boat, to prevent their having communication
with the English cruisers or going without the limits.
They were also under the necessity of going out and
returning only in the daytime." To our vexation and
grief, the fellow added, " that we could not remain in his
house any longer than the dusk of the evening, as he was
obliged to return an account to the mayor of the village
of every stranger that might be with him after dark,
taking his passport at the same time for the mayor's
inspection ; " and the fellow concluded all this anything
but comfortable information and kindness by lifting up
his hat, scratching his head, and saying, " I hope, gentle-
men, you will reward me for my pains and for keeping
counsel." We were absolutely confounded. We stood
amazed staring at each other ; and for some time were
unable to utter a word. At length I broke silence, and
observed, " That it was the fault of his better half, who
THE SHEPHERD FLEECES US 87
appeared to us, from the instant we had seen her, to be
a bitter, malignant creature. She, no doubt, had been
consulted ; " and her sour looks and conduct upon every
occasion convinced us all that this opinion was well
founded.
Having nothing to expect from this unfeeling and un-
principled couple, we paid them liberally for all we had
had, and for all they had done, or pretended to have done ;
and as soon as it was dark we left their, to us, not agree-
able abode. The point of departure had been a subject of
altercation ; for, as soon as they had received our money,
they insisted upon turning us out ; whilst we, for our own
purposes, as resolutely maintained our right to remain
until it was dark. Both of the inhospitable pair had
repeatedly threatened to call in the mayor, in order to
arrest us, if we remained a moment longer ; but this could
scarcely have been worse than running the risk of being
seen in the daytime. However, darkness at length
shrouded the earth, and we left this unpropitious roof
with no very merciful, or, we fear, Christian feelings, to-
wards those that drove us out.
When in the open air, we were utterly perplexed as to
how we should act and as to what course we should steer.
We began to imagine that what we had been told re-
specting the boats might be partly true. Sometimes we
supposed that it would be better to proceed towards Rot-
terdam; at others we thought of recrossing the Canche
and directing our wearisome course towards St. Valery ; at
others we imagined it would be better to repair to any
port where we might be likely to find an American or
other neutral vessel, in which we might escape; but at
last we agreed unanimously to cross the river, as at all
88 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN O'BRIEN
events the safest plan for that night, and afterwards to
proceed to some villages that might be close down on the
sea-coast. We were thus consulting, or had just come to
this conclusion, when the shepherd's daughter made her
appearance, and gently told us, " That her father had sent
her to show us a house where we were sure of finding a
person that would be of service to us, and who would put
us across the river ; which was," she added, " by far the
safest side." We thanked the girl, who appeared the whole
evening very much affected at the conduct of her parents ;
and she returned, begging us not to mention who had
directed us which, of course, we promised, and we kept
our word. One of us was now deputed to reconnoitre.
It was about ten o'clock ; the house was on the side of
the road, and a number of soldiers were passing on their
route to the camp : this circumstance retarded our project,
as we were obliged to keep within a hedge until the
military had passed, and by this time it was full eleven
o'clock. Then Mr. Tuthill (the deputed person) advanced;
and soon returned and informed us that he had seen a
man who had given him some hopes, and that he would
rejoin us shortly. This was most welcome news. The
person made his appearance, and told us he would direct
us to a friend's house on the other side, who would, he be-
lieved, do what we wished. Heavens ! what joyful intelli-
gence ! " His boat," he said, " would put us across as
soon as she should be afloat ; the tide of flood was then
making, and he would return again to where we were in
an hour, by which time he supposed the boat would be
ready." This put us in the highest spirits. An hour ago
we were in the depths of despair ; our feelings of j oy
were now heightened by contrast. With the vividness of
DISTRUST AND CAUTION 89
lightning flashed across my mind all our past sufferings ;
and, from the number of dangers which we had almost
miraculously escaped, it struck me that we were special
favourites of Fortune, and that we were about to reap the
glorious object of all our wishes. Habit, however, had
taught us distrust and caution ; and we shifted our situa-
tion, lest this stranger might turn out to be a false friend,
or a scoundrel sent to deceive us, and we placed ourselves
where we could easily discover whether he had any
auxiliaries with him when he came back. At the
appointed time he came to where he expected to find us,
by himself, which convinced us that his intentions were
more honest than we had supposed. In a few minutes we
were carried to the opposite side, where he secured his
boat, and guided us to the house above-mentioned, assuring
us that they were people we could depend upon, and who
had many friends, fishermen, on the water-side. He would
not enter the cottage, or hut, but quitted us at the
threshold, having received a sufficient recompense for the
trouble we had given. We knocked repeatedly at the
door. It began to rain very heavily ; nor could we gain
admittance until we had given many assurances that we
were particular friends who only wished to be sheltered a
few minutes from the inclemency of the night. These
protestations at length gained us permission to enter.
CHAPTER VI
A false direction and an appalling repulse A bribe refused A
deluge, and shelter in a barn A fatal resolution Dangers of
fugitives journeying by daylight A market-day at Staples
Passing through crowds not very convenient for runaway
prisoners of war An attempt to reach the sand-hills on the
coast A bold progress through a despicable village The last
house Parching thirst, and begging for a draught of water
An acquiescence, or reply, in the shape of two custom-house
officers Our capture A clever fiction well devised, better
sustained, and totally defeated Getting rid of suspicious goods
An examination before the mayor Americanism and the
American gentleman An awkward exposure A mittimus to
Boulogne gaol An examination of our persons and clothes
Our fate sealed, and hope destroyed.
BOTH the man and woman of the house stared at us with
great amazement ; and, finding that we were utter strangers,
they begged to know what we wanted, and why we had
disturbed them so unseasonably. This reception was
rather portentous and appalling; but humility becomes
the unfortunate, and we humbly begged that they would
make themselves quite easy, for we were absolutely come
as friends in great distress, to solicit protection and assist-
ance. This appeased them ; and we proceeded to state
that we were Frenchmen, who wished to be conveyed as
quickly as possible into some part of Normandy or
Brittany. We made them very liberal offers ; but, to our
dismay, they were thoroughly "temptation -proof." To
90
DISMISSAL FROM THE COTTAGE 91
all our bribery their hearts and minds were as cold as
asbestos. The woman at last observed, " that it was true
that she had a brother who was a fisherman on the sea-
coast," and our eyes glistened at what we thought was the
beginning of good news ; but then came the sad addenda,
that his boat had been taken round to Staples, and that
when he wished to fish he was obliged to embark under
the surveillance and regulations which had been described
to us by the shepherd. Alas ! alas ! we began to fear that
the shepherd was not the egregious liar we had taken
him for. The woman's story was confirmed by the husband ;
and both assured us that, upon our knocking at their door,
they had suspected us to be gendarmes in disguise. These
fellows, it appeared, were frequently in the habit of prac-
tising such tricks upon their countrymen. The good old
couple, however, soon insisted upon our quitting their
house, and in a manner which proved that they were not
accustomed to make use of much ceremony. In vain did
we point out to them our miserable plight, and expatiate
upon the extreme badness of the weather. We talked of
the excessive darkness of the night, the torrents of rain
that were pouring as if heaven and earth were coming in
contact, and we entreated them to allow us to shelter our-
selves in any barn, cow-house, or even pig-sty; but we
might as well have appealed to an Egyptian mummy.
In proportion as we were mendicant they became
peremptory, and even fierce ; and at last we were obliged
to depart in what seemed little less than a deluge. As
soon as they saw that they had got us over the threshold,
some few and faint feelings of commiseration seemed to
touch their obdurate breasts, and they had the charity to
point out to us a direction which led to a barn, which
92 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN CTBRIEN
they assured us was full of hay, and seldom visited, so
that we could very safely remain concealed in it until the
following night. They further advised us to proceed
either to Dieppe or St. Valery, as the two ports at which
it was most probable that we should succeed in procuring
a boat.
We shortly discovered the barn, and had the good
fortune to arrive at it a little before daylight. We found
it full of hay, as they had stated ; a most timely relief for
us, being quite drenched with the incessant rain, and all
over mud and dirt. Each soon found, or made, a con-
venient hole for himself through the hay, taking the pre-
caution to work a good way down and to cover himself
well over, lest our steps into this place should lead to a
suspicion and we might be found out. We fell into a
most profound sleep ; nor did I awake until nine o'clock
in the morning (Friday, 18th Sept.), when I heard my name
called repeatedly by Mr. Tuthill. He proposed that we
should quit that place immediately, and get down to the
sea-side, as the day was the only time to succeed in pro-
curing a boat, from the method they had taken of securing
all vessels at night. I used the most forcible arguments I
was master of to dissuade them from so rash a proceeding ;
and pointed out the caution we had observed in the inland
parts of the country as the only thing that had ensured
our success in arriving where we then were ; although there
had been much less danger in the interior than on the sea-
coast, where there would be, of course, a strict look-out
kept by custom-house officers, gardes de cote, etc. I
suggested, as the better plan, to wait until night : we
could, in the event of not succeeding, always make this
our rendezvous, and could return to it before daylight,
ADVANCE TOWARDS THE SAND-HILLS 93
procuring subsistence at some lonely cottage during the
night. All my rhetoric was in vain : they appeared deter-
mined to try their fortune by daylight. I then requested,
at any rate, that they would wait until noon, the usual
time for the country people to dine, as we might with
the more ease get away unnoticed. This was at last
agreed to; so we remained buried in the hay until the
hour of noon, when, unperceived by anybody, we crept
out, and, getting upon the highway, proceeded in the
direction we had intended to take. We put a bold front
upon disastrous affairs, and, with apparent intrepidity, we
marched on. Unluckily, it was market-day at Staples,
and the road was crowded with people going to and
returning from the ferry-boat. Our only plan was to
walk directly through them, on the principle that no man
whose object was flight and escape would walk amid
crowds of enemies in open day. This was the only course
that we could adopt; and, though all our calculations
proved to be miserably erroneous, and our hopes fallacious,
still I had nothing with which I had to reproach myself.
We kept advancing towards the sand-hills with all the
appearance of carelessness and confidence, but with a
quick, and, as far as we could assume appearances, a bold
and firm step ; and we arrived at last at a poor, sorry
village, through which we had to pass. We had actually
got to the very last house, when our poor friend Ashworth
felt extremely exhausted, and expressed that his parching
thirst obliged him to ask for a draught of water. On all
such occasions every one of the party was consulted,
and the majority of votes constituted the ultimatum, or
decision ; and whether a long train of success, or a long
succession of narrow escapes, had made us vainly confident,
94 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN O'BRIEN
I cannot say, but not one of us saw the slightest danger
in Ashworth's entering this house. It was impossible to
suppose that so wretched a village could contain either
troops or gendarmes ; and as we had passed through the
place without attracting any notice whatever, we did not
imagine that there could be any danger in entering the
last house at its extremity. The glorious sea, with all its
inspirations, was before us, and we laughed at what we
had undergone, for our hearts were light, and our minds
were full of the glad prospects of our attaining to all
our wishes.
Ashworth entered the house, and we advanced slowly,
lagging and loitering for him to rejoin us. His absence
appeared very long unnecessarily so. Suspense and im-
patience gave way to suspicion, and suspicion was succeeded
by alarm. I shall never forget my conflicting emotions
they grew stronger and stronger every moment. At
length, Mr. Tu thill broke silence, and expressed a wish to
go and ascertain what had detained our companion. Essel
and myself remained on the side of the road, anxiously
looking out. They very soon appeared ; and, to our in-
expressible grief and mortification, were conducted by two
armed men in a uniform entirely foreign to us. These
soon proved to be douaniers, or custom-house officers,
with which, at that period, the coast of France abounded ;
but none of them had ever fallen under our observation
or cognisance. I clearly perceived that these fellows had
taken both our companions into custody, from the manner
in which they approached. When they had joined us,
Mr. Ashworth introduced me to them as Captain Cox, of
the ship Favourite, of New York the story fixed upon
in case of being stopped. We had been cast away near
A CLEVER FICTION 95
Marseilles, and all hands had perished, except Florence
Heath (Mr. Ashworth), mate; William Dixon (Mr.
Tuthill), supercargo ; and Mr. Essel (whose new name I
now forget), passenger. We were bound to Barcelona.
Cargo slaves and cotton. Only the supercargo and mate
could speak French. They appeared to commiserate our
situation, and had not the least doubt but that what we
alleged was true. "But they must take us," they said,
" to the mayor of the town, who would, no doubt, grant
us passports to proceed to some seaport, whence we could
take shipping for America, or any other place we pleased. 11
We expressed our warmest thanks for this mark of their
attention ; but (if they pleased) we added, " That we did
not wish to put them to the inconvenience of going out of
their way on our account." They replied, " That it was
entirely in their way ; and it was impossible we could
proceed along the coast without papers : they were only
astonished how we had crossed the kingdom of France
(or, more properly speaking, the empire) without being
arrested. We had been much to blame in not having
procured passports prior to our quitting Marseilles." We
assured them we were ignorant of its being in the smallest
degree necessary, that we were born in a country where
nothing of the kind was required, and where it would be
deemed a very great insult to ask any person where he
came from or whither he was going. We, of course, alluded
to public functionaries ; for we well recollected the pro-
verbial character of the Americans for inquisitiveness, and
Dr. Franklin's story of his putting up a printed board
over his apartment, whenever he arrived in an American
town, so full of all particulars relating to himself
as to render it impossible, as he thought, for even
96 ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN O'BRIEN
American curiosity to intrude upon his privacy with a
question.
We of course regretted that we had not been more en-
lightened upon the laws and customs of " ce pays d? and
at length we arrived at the ferry-boat, and in a few
minutes found ourselves in the town of Staples, under
different circumstances and in a different company from
what he had desired or expected. We still entertained
hopes of escape ; but, unfortunately, each of us had about
his person many things most inconvenient to be inspected
by French douaniers, and most unlikely to corroborate our
fiction of our being shipwrecked Americans. My brains
were set to work to " get to windward " of this quicksand,
and I whispered to my " mate " to intimate to his un-
welcome or awkward friends, that I was fatigued, and
that I wished to take some little refreshment at any con-
venient inn before I had the honour of appearing before
the mayor. Our civil conductors consented that the
fatigued gentleman should take what refreshment he
stood in need of, and of which, I need scarcely say, they
intended to be participators. We arrived at a cabaret,
were allowed to enter, were conducted into a good room,
and, as if I were the most easy and indifferent gentleman
that ever proceeded from America, I called authoritatively
for a supply of bread and wine. During this repast we
alternately had an excuse for retiring : I need not say
that we took care to get rid of almost every article that
might prove that our fiction had not the saving grace of
probability.
We at last made the best of a very bad or unpromising
case; and, putting on the appearance of unconcern and
mirth, we followed our conductors. They told us that they
EXAMINED BY AN AMERICAN 97
were under the necessity of waiting upon their captain
previously to going before the mayor. He received me
and my companions with politeness, and all things seemed
to indicate that the interview might pass off without
danger, until he politely told me that he must send for
the mayor to be present at our examination. This
changed the whole complexion of the case ; and I am sure