Sufferings from Thirst—Water at length procured, Anguish allayed, and the Escape proceeded upon with renewed Spirits

The Journey pursued—A Bivouac in a Wood—Dangers of being Shot—Making free with an Orchard—Crossing the Oise—A Mode of obtaining Provisions—A Cabaret and a Village Fête—Kindness of the Peasantry—Petit Essigny—Wringing drenched Garments, and Drying them over fading Embers—A miserable Landlord—A Change of Quarters—Luxuries of a Hay-loft—A Samaritan of a Hostess—Wretched Sufferings of Mr. Essel—Resort to another Village—A kind Landlord—Sympathies for Deserters—“A Fellow-feeling makes Men wondrous Kind”—The Luxuries of a Clean Bed—Resort to another Village—A motherly Hostess—A lucky Road-acquaintance—Virtue and Happiness in humble Life—The charitable Baker—Dangers from Sportsmen to Gentlemen hiding in Woods—Mr. Essel’s Illness disappearing—Increased Speed not always safe to Fugitives—Coldness of the Weather—An hospitable Farmer—A French Harvest-home—Hesdin—Neuville—Étaples—Turned out of a Straw Bed—A new Inn, with a Gendarme in Disguise in the Kitchen—Bribing a Landlord—No Boat to be had—An old Shepherd too cunning for a young Lieutenant and Midshipmen—Extreme Difficulties—High Hopes—Despondency and Resources

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 Étaples—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

Our Entrance into the Gaol of Boulogne—Tantalising Sight of Old England’s Flag and white Cliffs—A Gaoler’s Supper and a conscientious Bill—Another Examination—The Route to Verdun—Arras—The Gaoler kind, and the Commandant full of Indulgence—Bapaume—The Baker, and Inquiries for our lost Money—Cambray—Cateau-Cambresis and its horrible Dungeon—Landrecies—Our Awkwardness in Chains, Handcuffs, and Fetters—My Dislike to them—Avesnes—Information that we were to be Shot—The Dungeon of Avesnes—A dungeon Companion who had killed and cut up both his Parents—A Night of Horrors and Lunacy—Hirson, a Town without a Gaol, but with a Dungeon—A Supper and its Consequences—The Discovery of our Implements of Escape—Maubert Fontaine—A new Dungeon and a Fellow-prisoner—Reciprocal Services—A novel Mode of hiding Pistol-barrels—Chaining Prisoners to a Cart—Mezières—Arrival at Verdun—Separated from my Companions—Reflections on being Shot—A close Examination—Questioned in relation to Buonaparte—Allowed to join my old Associates—Another Cross-examination—A Recommittal to Prison—Our Fate determined—The Dungeon of Bitche—The Rev. Lancelot C. Lee, a détenu—His Generosity

Our Departure from Verdun for Bitche—Mars-la-Tour, Metz, and Sarrelouis—I receive a useful Present from Mr. Brown—Sarreguemines—A last Chance—A mounted Guard—Thoughts of an Escape—Calculations upon a Chase in a Wood between Horse-soldiers and Prisoners on Foot—Attempt resolved upon—Signal given—Flight from the Prison Caravan to the Wood—French Pursuit—A Prisoner recaptured—My Escape from the Wood into another—My Companions, I fear, less fortunate—My Concealment—A swampy Bed and a stormy Sky, with a Torrent of Rain, for a Canopy—A prospective Flight of nearly 800 Miles—The Misery of a fruitless Search for lost Companions—Feeding on Haws, and herding with Quadrupeds and Vermin—A Hut discovered—Hunger compels me to enter—A Compromise, a Bribe, Female Advocacy, and an Escape—On the Road to the Rhine—A Preparation to sell Life dearly—A narrow Escape—Living on Cabbage-Stalks and raw Turnips—Bad Feet and worse Health—A lonely House near a Wood—Strong Temptations to Enter—A brutal Host, extreme Danger, and a narrow Escape—Bad Specimens of Human Nature

An inclement Season—A Retreat in a Cavern-Somnambulism—The Discovery of a Shepherd’s Hut—A Traveller put out of a wrong Road—Swimming in a Winter’s Night—Passing through a Mill—A suspicious Traveller may be an honest Man—A Lorraine Cottage seen through a Fog—Dangers from over-kind People—Repugnance to be introduced to a Mayor or any other good Society—Concealment in a hollow Willow—An honest Fellow-traveller of fugitive Reminiscences—An ingenious Fiction—A Perspective of Strasbourg

The Banks of the Rhine—Contemplations on crossing the River irregularly—Difficulties of finding a legal Passage—Mistaking two