e to mount
upon the seat, and getting up drove away like lightning; we drove for at
least six hours without stopping, till we came to a cottage by the side
of a heath; we put the pony and cart into a shed and went into the
cottage, my father unlocking the door with a key which he took out of his
pocket; there was nobody in the cottage when we arrived, but shortly
after there came a man and woman, and then some more people, and by ten
o'clock at night there were a dozen of us in the cottage. The people
were companions of my father. My father began talking to them in Latin,
but I did not understand much of the discourse, though I believe it was
about myself, as their eyes were frequently turned to me. Some
objections appeared to be made to what he said; however, all at last
seemed to be settled, and we all sat down to some food. After that all
the people got up and went away, with the exception of the woman, who
remained with my father and me. The next day my father also departed,
leaving me with the woman, telling me before he went that she would teach
me some things which it behoved me to know. I remained with her in the
cottage upwards of a week; several of those who had been there coming and
going. The woman, after making me take an oath to be faithful, told me
that the people whom I had seen were a gang who got their livelihood by
passing forged notes, and that my father was a principal man amongst
them, adding, that I must do my best to assist them. I was a poor
ignorant child at that time, and I made no objection, thinking that
whatever my father did must be right; the woman then gave me some
instructions in the smasher's dialect of the Latin language. I made
great progress, because for the first time in my life, I paid great
attention to my lessons. At last my father returned, and, after some
conversation with the woman, took me away in his cart. I shall be very
short about what happened to my father and myself during two years. My
father did his best to smash the Bank of England by passing forged notes,
and I did my best to assist him. We attended races and fairs in all
kinds of disguises; my father was a first-rate hand at a disguise, and
could appear of all ages from twenty to fourscore; he was, however,
grabbed at last. He had said, as I have told you, that he should be my
ruin, but I was the cause of his, and all owing to the misfortune of this
here eye of mine. We came to this very place of Horn