en approached, and the door of the wretched cell in
which I lay being rudely pushed open, a soldier entered, who carried
something in his hand; but, owing to the obscurity of the place, I could
not see what.

'Art thou awake, fellow?' said he, in a gruff voice. 'Stir thyself; get
upon thy legs.'

His orders were enforced by no very gentle application of his military
boot.

'Friend,' said I, rising with difficulty, 'you need not insult a dying
man. You have been sent hither to conduct me to death. Lead on! My
trust is in God, that He will forgive me my sins, and receive my soul,
redeemed by the blood of His Son.'

There here intervened a pause of some length, at the end of which the
soldier said, in the same gruff voice, but in a lower key:

'Look ye, comrade, it will be your own fault if you die this night. On
one condition I promise to get you out of this hobble with a whole skin;
but if you go to any of your d----d gammon, by G--, before two hours are
passed, you will have as many holes in your carcase as a target.'

'Name your conditions,' said I, 'and if they consist with honour, I will
never balk at the offer.'

'Here they are: you are to be shot to-night, by Captain Oliver's orders.
The carbines are cleaned for the job, and the cartridges served out to
the men. By G--, I tell you the truth!'

Of this I needed not much persuasion, and intimated to the man my
conviction that he spoke the truth.

'Well, then,' he continued, 'now for the means of avoiding this ugly
business. Captain Oliver rides this night to head-quarters, with the
papers which you carried. Before he starts he will pay you a visit,
to fish what he can out of you with all the fine promises he can make.
Humour him a little, and when you find an opportunity, stab him in the
throat above the cuirass.'

'A feasible plan, surely,' said I, raising my shackled hands, 'for a man
thus completely crippled and without a weapon.'

'I will manage all that presently for you,' said the soldier. 'When you
have thus dealt with him, take his cloak and hat, and so forth, and put
them on; the papers you will find in the pocket of his vest, in a red
leather case. Walk boldly out. I am appointed to ride with Captain
Oliver, and you will find me holding his horse and my own by the door.
Mount quickly, and I will do the same, and then we will ride for our
lives across the bridge. You will find the holster-pistols loaded in
case of pursuit; and, with the devil's