hich was pointed out to
us, and which lay embosomed in trees some three miles to the westward of
the town and about a mile from the shore. We had no packing to do, as
we possessed nothing in the world but the clothes we stood up in--and
which, by the way, were now in the very last stage of "looped and
windowed raggedness"--so we simply nodded a "good-bye" to such of our
envious acquaintances as happened to be within saluting range, and at
once set off up the road which we were informed would conduct us to our
destination.

Once fairly away from the scene of our late labours, Courtenay and I
gave full rein both to our tongues and to our imaginations, discussing
and wondering what in the world the commandant could possibly want with
ship-models; but that, after all was a question which we did not greatly
trouble ourselves to solve; the dominant thought and reflection in our
minds that we were likely to be, for some time at least, absentees from
the prison and all the discomfort and wretchedness connected with it,
and which I have not dwelt upon or attempted to describe for the one
simple reason that it was wholly undescribable. We never thought of
escaping, although we soon found ourselves passing through a thinly-
inhabited country where our abandonment of the high-road and concealment
in the neighbouring woods could have been accomplished without the
slightest risk of observation; but we had learned by this time that
escape was no such easy matter; it was a something which would have to
be carefully planned beforehand and every possible precaution adopted to
ensure success, and had we been foolishly tempted to try it then and
there our non-arrival at the chateau would speedily have been reported,
with the result that a search would have been instituted, followed by
our speedy recapture and ignominious return to the abhorred prison. No;
we were very thankful for and very well satisfied with the sudden change
in our fortunes which had been so unexpectedly wrought, for, though we
could of course form no very clear idea of what our lot would be in the
service of the commandant, we felt pretty certain it would be much
easier than what we had been obliged to put up with since our landing
from the frigate; and, for the rest, we were content to wait and see
what time had in store for us, whilst we were fully resolved to keep a
bright lookout for and to take the utmost advantage of any opportunity
for escape which might be op