Chapter XXV
O'Brien parts company to hunt for provisions, and I have other companyin consequence of another hunt--O'Brien pathetically mourns my death andfinds me alive--We escape.
The ensuing morning we looked out anxiously for the promised assistance,for we were not very rich in provisions, although what we had were of avery good quality. It was not until three o'clock in the afternoon thatwe perceived a little girl coming towards us, escorted by a largemastiff. When she arrived at the copse of trees where we lay concealed,she cried out to the dog in Dutch, who immediately scoured the wooduntil he came to our hiding-place, when he crouched down at theentrance, barking furiously, and putting us in no small dread, lest heshould attack us; but the little girl spoke to him again, and heremained in the same position, looking at us, wagging his tail, with hisunder jaw lying on the snow. She soon came up, and looking underneath,put a basket in, and nodded her head. We emptied the basket. O'Brientook out a napoleon and offered it to her; she refused it, but O'Brienforced it into her hand, upon which she again spoke to the dog, whocommenced barking so furiously at us, that we expected every moment hewould fly upon us. The girl at the same time presented the napoleon, andpointing to the dog, I went forward and took the napoleon from her, atwhich she immediately silenced the enormous brute, and laughing at us,hastened away.
"By the powers, that's a fine little girl!" said O'Brien; "I'll back herand her dog against any man. Well, I never had a dog set at me forgiving money before, but we live and learn, Peter; now let's see whatshe brought in the basket." We found hard-boiled eggs, bread, and asmoked mutton ham, with a large bottle of gin. "What a nice little girl!I hope she will often favour us with her company. I've been thinking,Peter, that we're quite as well off here, as in a midshipman's berth."
"You forget you are a lieutenant."
"Well, so I did, Peter, and that's the truth, but it's the force ofhabit. Now let's make our dinner. It's a new-fashioned way though, ofmaking a meal, lying down; but however, it's economical, for it musttake longer to swallow the victuals."
"The Romans used to eat their meals lying down, so I have read,O'Brien."
"I can't say that I ever heard it mentioned in Ireland, but that don'tprove that it was not the case; so, Peter, I'll take your word for it.Murder! how fast it snows again! I wonder what my father's thinking onjust at this moment."
This observation of O'Brien induced us to talk about our friends andrelations in England, and after much conversation we fell fast asleep.The next morning we found the snow had fallen about eight inches, andweighed down our upper blanket so much, that we were obliged to go outand cut stakes to support it up from the inside. While we were thusemployed, we heard a loud noise and shouting, and perceived several men,apparently armed and accompanied with dogs, running straight in thedirection of the wood where we were encamped. We were much alarmed,thinking that they were in search of us, but on a sudden they turned offin another direction, continuing with the same speed as before. "Whatcould it be?" said I, to O'Brien. "I can't exactly say, Peter; but Ishould think that they were hunting something, and the only game that Ithink likely to be in such a place as this are otters." I was of thesame opinion. We expected the little girl, but she did not come, andafter looking out for her till dark, we crawled into our hole and suppedupon the remainder of our provisions.
The next day, as may be supposed, we were very anxious for her arrival,but she did not appear at the time expected. Night again came on, and wewent to bed without having any sustenance, except a small piece of breadthat was left, and some gin which was remaining in the flask. "Peter,"said O'Brien, "if she don't come again to-morrow, I'll try what I cando; for I've no idea of our dying of hunger here, like the two babes inthe wood, and being found covered up with dead leaves. If she does notappear at three o'clock, I'm off for provisions, and I don't see muchdanger, for in this dress I look as much of a boor as any man inHolland."
We passed an uneasy night, as we felt convinced, either that the dangerwas so great that they dared not venture to assist us, or, that beingover-ruled, they had betrayed us, and left us to manage how we could.The next morning I climbed up the only large tree in the copse andlooked round, especially in the direction of the farm-house belonging tothe woman who had pointed out to us our place of concealment; butnothing was to be seen but one vast tract of flat country covered withsnow, and now and then a vehicle passing at a distance on the Middelburgroad. I descended, and found O'Brien preparing for a start. He was verymelancholy, and said to me, "Peter, if I am taken, you must, at allrisks, put on your girl's clothes and go to Flushing to the cabaret. Thewomen there, I am sure, will protect you, and send you back to England.I only want two napoleons; take all the rest, you will require them. IfI am not back by to-night, set off for Flushing to-morrow morning."O'Brien waited some time longer, talking with me, and it then being pastfour o'clock, he shook me by the hand, and, without speaking, left thewood. I never felt more miserable during the whole time since we werefirst put into prison at Toulon, till that moment, and, when he was ahundred yards off, I knelt down and prayed. He had been absent twohours, and it was quite dusk, when I heard a noise at a distance: itadvanced every moment nearer and nearer. On a sudden, I heard a rustlingof the bushes, and hastened under the blanket, which was covered withsnow, in hopes that they might not perceive the entrance; but I washardly there before in dashed after me an enormous wolf. I cried out,expecting to be torn to pieces every moment, but the creature lay on hisbelly, his mouth wide open, his eyes glaring, and his long tonguehanging out of his mouth, and although he touched me, he was soexhausted that he did not attack me. The noise increased, and Iimmediately perceived that it was the hunters in pursuit of him. I hadcrawled in feet first, the wolf ran in head foremost, so that we layhead and tail. I crept out as fast as I could, and perceived men anddogs not two hundred yards off in full chase. I hastened to the largetree, and had not ascended six feet when they came up; the dogs flew tothe hole, and in a very short time the wolf was killed. The huntersbeing too busy to observe me, I had in the meantime climbed up the trunkof the tree, and hidden myself as well as I could. Being not fifteenyards from them, I heard their expressions of surprise as they lifted upthe blanket and dragged out the dead wolf, which they carried away withthem; their conversation being in Dutch, I could not understand it, butI was certain that they made use of the word "_English_." The huntersand dogs quitted the copse, and I was about to descend, when one of themreturned, and pulling up the blankets, rolled them together and walkedaway with them. Fortunately he did not perceive our bundles by thelittle light given by the moon. I waited a short time and then camedown. What to do I knew not. If I did not remain and O'Brien returned,what would he think? If I did, I should be dead with cold before themorning. I looked for our bundles, and found that in the conflictbetween the dogs and the wolf, they had been buried among the leaves. Irecollected O'Brien's advice, and dressed myself in the girl's clothes,but I could not make up my mind to go to Flushing. So I resolved to walktowards the farmhouse, which, being close to the road, would give me achance of meeting with O'Brien. I soon arrived there and prowled roundit for some time, but the doors and windows were all fast, and I darednot knock, after what the woman had said about her husband's inveteracyto the English. At last, as I looked round and round, quite at a losswhat to do, I thought I saw a figure at a distance proceeding in thedirection of the copse. I hastened after it and saw it enter. I thenadvanced very cautiously, for although I thought it might be O'Brien,yet it was possible that it was one of the men who chased the wolf insearch of more plunder. But I soon heard O'Brien's voice, and I hastenedtowards him. I was close to him without his perceiving me, and found himsitting down with his face covered up in his two hands. At last hecried, "O Pater! my poor Pater! are you taken at last? Could I not leaveyou for one hour in safety? Ochone! why did I leave you? My poor, poorPater! simple you were, sure enough, and that's why I loved you; but,Pater, I would have made a man of you, for you'd all the materials,th
at's the truth--and a fine man, too. Where am I to look for you,Pater? Where am I to find you, Pater? You're fast locked up by thistime, and all my trouble's gone for nothing. But I'll be locked up too,Pater. Where you are, will I be; and if we can't go to England together,why then we'll go back to that blackguard hole at Givet together.Ochone! Ochone!" O'Brien spoke no more, but burst into tears. I was muchaffected with this proof of O'Brien's sincere regard, and I came to hisside and clasped him in my arms. O'Brien stared at me, "Who are you, youugly Dutch frow?" (for he had quite forgotten the woman's dress at themoment), but recollecting himself, he hugged me in his arms. "Pater, youcome as near to an angel's shape as you can, for you come in that of awoman, to comfort me; for, to tell the truth, I was very much distressedat not finding you here; and all the blankets gone to boot. What hasbeen the matter?" I explained in as few words as I could.
"Well, Peter, I'm happy to find you all safe, and much happier to findthat you can be trusted when I leave you, for you could not have behavedmore prudently; now I'll tell you what I did, which was not much, as ithappened. I knew that there was no cabaret between us and Flushing, forI took particular notice as I came along; so I took the road toMiddelburg, and found but one, which was full of soldiers. I passed it,and found no other. As I came back past the same cabaret, one of thesoldiers came out to me, but I walked along the road. He quickened hispace, and so did I mine, for I expected mischief. At last he came up tome, and spoke to me in Dutch, to which I gave him no answer. He collaredme, and then I thought it convenient to pretend that I was deaf anddumb. I pointed to my mouth with an Au--au--and then to my ears, andshook my head; but he would not be convinced, and I heard him saysomething about English. I then knew that there was no time to be lost,so I first burst out into a loud laugh and stopped; and on hisattempting to force me, I kicked up his heels, and he fell on the icewith such a rap on the pate, that I doubt if he has recovered it by thistime. There I left him, and have run back as hard as I could, withoutanything for Peter to fill his little hungry inside with. Now, Peter,what's your opinion? for they say that out of the mouth of babes thereis wisdom; and although I never saw anything come out of their mouthsbut sour milk, yet perhaps I may be more fortunate this time, for,Peter, you're but a baby."
"Not a small one, O'Brien, although not quite so large as Fingal's_babby_ that you told me the story of. My idea is this.--Let us, at allhazards, go to the farmhouse. They have assisted us, and may be inclinedto do so again; if they refuse, we must push on to Flushing and take ourchance."
"Well," observed O'Brien, after a pause, "I think we can do no better,so let's be off." We went to the farmhouse, and, as we approached thedoor, were met by the great mastiff. I started back, O'Brien boldlyadvanced. "He's a clever dog, and may know us again. I'll go up," saidO'Brien, not stopping while he spoke, "and pat his head: if he flies atme, I shall be no worse than I was before, for depend upon it he willnot allow us to go back again." O'Brien by this time had advanced to thedog, who looked earnestly and angrily at him. He patted his head, thedog growled, but O'Brien put his arm round his neck, and patting himagain, whistled to him, and went to the door of the farmhouse. The dogfollowed him silently but closely. O'Brien knocked, and the door wasopened by the little girl: the mastiff advanced to the girl, and thenturned round, facing O'Brien, as much as to say, "Is he to come in?" Thegirl spoke to the dog, and went indoors. During her absence the mastifflay down at the threshold. In a few seconds the woman who had brought usfrom Flushing, came out, and desired us to enter. She spoke very goodFrench, and told us that fortunately her husband was absent; that thereason why we had not been supplied was, that a wolf had met her littlegirl returning the other day, but had been beaten off by the mastiff,and that she was afraid to allow her to go again; that she heard thewolf had been killed this evening, and had intended her girl to havegone to us early to-morrow morning; that wolves were hardly known inthat country, but that the severe winter had brought them down to thelowlands, a very rare circumstance, occurring perhaps not once in twentyyears. "But how did you pass the mastiff?" said she; "that has surprisedmy daughter and me." O'Brien told her, upon which she said "that theEnglish were really '_des braves_.' No other man had ever done thesame." So I thought, for nothing would have induced me to do it. O'Brienthen told the history of the death of the wolf, with all particulars,and our intention, if we could not do better, of returning to Flushing.
"I heard that Pierre Eustache came home yesterday," replied the woman;"and I do think that you will be safer there than here, for they willnever think of looking for you among the _casernes_, which join theircabaret."
"Will you lend us your assistance to get in?"
"I will see what I can do. But are you not hungry?"
"About as hungry as men who have eaten nothing for two days."
"_Mon Dieu! c'est vrai._ I never thought it was so long, but those whosestomachs are filled forget those who are empty. God make us better andmore charitable!"
She spoke to the little girl in Dutch, who hastened to load the table,which we hastened to empty. The little girl stared at our voracity; butat last she laughed out, and clapped her hands at every fresh mouthfulwhich we took, and pressed us to eat more. She allowed me to kiss her,until her mother told her that I was not a woman, when she pouted at me,and beat me off. Before midnight we were fast asleep upon the benchesbefore the kitchen fire, and at daybreak were roused up by the woman,who offered us some bread and spirits, and then we went out to the door,where we found the horse and cart all ready, and loaded with vegetablesfor the market. The woman, the little girl, and myself got in, O'Brienleading as before, and the mastiff following. We had learnt the dog'sname, which was "_Achille_," and he seemed to be quite fond of us. Wepassed the dreaded barriers without interruption, and in ten minutesentered the cabaret of Eustache; and immediately walked into the littleroom through a crowd of soldiers, two of whom chucked me under the chin.Whom should we find there but Eustache, the pilot himself, inconversation with his wife, and it appeared that they were talking aboutus, she insisting, and he unwilling to have any hand in the business."Well, here they are themselves, Eustache; the soldiers who have seenthem come in will never believe that this is their first entry if yougive them up. I leave them to make their own bargain; but mark me,Eustache, I have slaved night and day in this cabaret for your profit;if you do not oblige me and my family, I no longer keep a cabaret foryou."
Madame Eustache then quitted the room with her husband's sister andlittle girl, and O'Brien immediately accosted him. "I promise you," saidhe to Eustache, "one hundred louis if you put us on shore at any part ofEngland, or on board of any English man-of-war; and if you do it withina week, I will make it twenty louis more." O'Brien then pulled out thefifty napoleons given us by Celeste, for our own were not yet expended,and laid them on the table. "Here is this in advance, to prove mysincerity. Say, is it a bargain or not?"
"I never yet heard of a poor man who could withstand his wife'sarguments, backed with one hundred and twenty louis," said Eustachesmiling, and sweeping the money off the table.
"I presume you have no objection to start to-night? That will be tenlouis more in your favour," replied O'Brien.
"I shall earn them," replied Eustache. "The sooner I am off the better,for I could not long conceal you here. The young frow with you is, Isuppose, your companion that my wife mentioned. He has begun to sufferhardships early. Come, now, sit down and talk, for nothing can be donetill dark."
O'Brien narrated the adventures attending our escape, at which Eustachelaughed heartily; the more so, at the mistake which his wife was under,as to the obligations of the family. "If I did not feel inclined toassist you before, I do now, just for the laugh I shall have at her whenI come back, and if she wants any more assistance for the sake of herrelations, I shall remind her of this anecdote; but she's a good womanand a good wife to boot, only too fond of her sisters." At dusk heequipped us both in sailor's jackets and trowsers, and desired us tofollow him boldly. He passed the guard, wh
o knew him well. "What, to seaalready?" said one. "You have quarrelled with your wife." At which theyall laughed, and we joined. We gained the beach, jumped into his littleboat, pulled off to his vessel, and, in a few minutes, were under weigh.With a strong tide and a fair wind we were soon clear of the Scheldt,and the next morning a cutter hove in sight. We steered for her, ranunder her lee, O'Brien hailed for a boat, and Eustache, receiving mybill for the remainder of his money, wished us success; we shook hands,and in a few minutes found ourselves once more under the Britishpennant.
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