Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/203

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about ten at night, approaching the "Cat," two of us went in, dried our clothes, and got something to eat, whilst the third, with Fox, kept watch at the door. The sagacity of this dog was really wonderful, Madame Derikre assured us, that, latterly, this faithful animal, as if he knew our enemies, growled at every gen d'arme he saw, although he had been in the habit of seeing, and being caressed by them almost every day of his life. She again said, that Moitier had promised to assist us the moment Mansell was gone. Our hopes being somewhat enlivened by these repeated assurances, it was determined to wait a few days longer, could we survive the cold, to see the result of Mansell's departure. We now ventured to pay nightly visits to the "Cat," in order to procure provisions, taking each time a different direction, to avoid making a path. One night, Whitehurst, exhausted with illness and fatigue, while crossing a ditch, fell in, and swinging under an old tree that overhung the water, it was with some difficulty we could extricate him. After this accident,