Page:A Journal of the Plague Year (1722).djvu/164

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156
Memoirs of

out of the Trees, and hape them as like Guns as he could, and in a little time he had five or ſix fair. Muskets, which at a Diſtance would not be known; and about the Part where the Lock of a Gun is he cauſed them to wrap Cloths and Rags, ſuch as they had, as Soldiers do in wet Weather, to preſerve the Locks of their Pieces from Ruſt, the reſT was diſcolour’d with Clay or Mud, ſuch as they could get; and all this while, the reſt of them ſat under the Trees by his Direction, in two or three Bodies, where they made Fires at a good Diſtance from one another.

While this was doing, he advanc’d himſelf and two or three with him, and ſet up their Tent in the Lane within ſight of the Barrier which the Town’s Men had made, and ſet a Centinel juſt by it with the real Gun, the only one they had, and who walked to and fro with the Gun on his Shoulder, ſo as that the People of the Town might ſee them; alſo he ty’d the Horſe to a Gate in the Hedge juſt by, and got ſome dry Sticks together and kindled a Fire on the other ſide of the Tent, ſo that the People of the Town cou’d ſee the Fire and the Smoak, but cou’d not ſee what they were doing at it.

After the Country People had look’d upon them very earneſtly a great while, and by all that they could ſee, cou’d not but ſuppoſe that they were a great many in Company, they began to be uneaſie, not for their going away, but for ſtaying where they were; and above all perceiving they had Horſes and Arms, for they had ſeen one Horſe and one Gun at the Tent, and they had ſeen others of them walk about the Field on the inſide of the Hedge, by the ſide of the Lane with their Muskets, as they took them to be, Shoulder’d: I ſay, upon ſuch a Sight as this,you may be aſſured they were Alarm’d and terribly Frighted; and it ſeems they went to a Juſtice of the Peace to know what they ſhould do; what the Juſtice advis'd them to I know not,