“She locked the door upon me, and as soon as I heard her do so I crept down, and lay for an hour in her clean sheets. “When midnight chimed from the church towers I got up and tore the old woman’s sheets into strips. “With these strips I made a sort of rope, and let myself down into the fields below. “Seeing a black-looking forest not far off I ran towards it, and slept for an hour or two. “My first business in the morning was to make towards a village to get bread, for I was almost famished with hunger. “But judge of my surprise when I discovered that in the flight and scuffle of escape I had lost every farthing I had in the world. “The baker looked very hard and cunningly at me, but I offered to sell him one of my pistols if he would only give me some refreshment. “The baker agreed to the bargain, and gave me plenty of bread and meat for my weapon. “But, unfortunately for me, the baker himself had been robbed about a month before that, and he looked upon every rough person as a cut-throat or thief. “When, therefore, he had got my pistol he told one of his apprentice lads to watch my movements while he went and informed the bailiff. “The bailiff had exerted himself very much to find out who the persons were who had robbed his particular friend, the pot-bellied baker, so that he felt great pleasure at finding that one of them at least had been discovered at last. “He fussed about a long time, putting on his sword and pistols, but in the meantime I made the best of my way to the forest again, and began to enjoy myself with the food I so much needed. “I sat behind a tree smoking after my repast, and then had a gentle dose. “I was suddenly awakened by four stout athletic fellows armed with clubs, and led on by the pompous bailiff. “They seized me, hand and foot, tied me with cords, and then carried me through the village in triumph, and put me into prison. “I protested that I was a runaway German, and wished to fight against Prussia in the French service. “The French were then engaged in a heavy war, and wanted men; but they did not believe my story, and insisted that I must be one of the famous ‘Scorchers’ from my ugly looks. “They treated me awfully in prison, and kicked and cuffed me until I was black and blue, and sore all over. “As luck would have it, however, after a month’s confinement, a party of recruits passed through the village. “Not being able to prove who or what I was, the bailiff felt very much inclined to give me over to the recruiting officer so as to get rid of me. “Anything to me was preferable to a prison life, and I gladly volunteered to go into the French army to fight against the pot-bellied, money-grubbing Dutch and Germans. “As I was a well-made young fellow, the soldier jumped at the chance of having such a fine recruit.