The Journal of Joachim Hane: containing his escapes and sufferings during his employment by Oliver Cromwell in France from November 1653 to February 1654Hane, Joachim
History
The Journal of Joachim Hane: containing his escapes and sufferings during his employment by Oliver Cromwell in France from November 1653 to February 1654
Hane, Joachim
France -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain; Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- France
The next day continuing still in the same place, because I was not able
to goe nor knew I whether to goe, the hedge wherin I lay being very
thin, I was discovered by some boyes that kept sheep (about two of the
clock in the afternoone) their abouts, who as soone as they had seene me
ran to the villadge hard by to give notice of my being their. Wher upon
seing myselfe discovered, though before I was not able to stand on my
feet, yet did feare so far overcome me that to shun any danger as long
as possible I could make any shift to crawle a little way from thence to
hide myself in a securer place. But as I was gott a quarter of a myle
from the place where I lay in, it began to raine very hard; so seing a
great house not far of I had a desire to try whether I could finde same
shelter about the same, and coming neare it I entered into a stable one
of whose doores was opened towards the feild the other into a court
before the house. This stable being large was accomodated not only for
cattell on the one side but also for all manner of other uses, for I
found theirin a winepresse round about, their was also laid some cart
loads of faggotts of greene furrs betweene which and the presse I did
hide my selfe thinking it a great happinesse to be out of the cold winde
and raine into a dry place wherby I hoped to have a warme nights
lodging. Perceiving but little company about the house, when I came
first into the stable I lay their with great confidence, not suspecting
any body knew of my being their, yet before I had beene their halfe an
houre, the good man of the house with two of his servants came home from
the feild and received information conserning me of his son, a little
boy of some 13 or 14 yeares old, who see my coming into the stable and
watched me ever since then, wherby he knew that I was not come forth
againe. Here upon great and small come into the stable rejoyceing for to
have gotten the theife for whose sake all the townes and villages
theirabouts had been fame to keepe guard all the night past, and being
assured that I could have no other hiding place but under the furrs they
sent for two longe hay forkes to remoove them all to come att me. I, in
the meane tyme full of terror and trembling as soone as I perceived that
I was discovered, forced myselfe under the winepress which was joyned to
one side of the wall, the bed their of lay on two peices of timbre which
being some five foot one from another were no thicker then my body so
that with hard shift I could worke betwixt the bed and the ground upon
my belly to the wall. Being crept under it as farr as I could, I tooke
an old peece of wood which accidentally lay their and left it with other
small sticks in the outside under the bed theirby to prevent in them all
suspicion of my being under the presse. Now when they had remooved all
the furrs and come to the full sight of the bed of the winepress they
tooke it for granted that I could not be their, because the hollownesse
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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