"The walls may be as high as Heaven, and the ditches as deep as hell, and the sentinels as vigilant as Argus, but I will do them all! Pest, do you take me for a nincompoop, or fool, or what? There, what do you think of that?" throwing down a coil of rope—"and of that?" flinging a file on the ground. "Now, I know you are not a fool, and will find out their use and you will promise me to escape! You will find the rope long enough to reach pretty near the rocks below the prison—your window looks south to Arthur's Seat."
"And when I am out—where am I to go?"
"Patience, by G—! and I'll tell you. There are rocks beneath your window; I took a reconnaissance of the whole yesterday; you must then slip down the hill—go through the back slums of the Canongate, get out by Holyrood, and make for the Hunter's Bog; if you are attacked there is a pistol, and a knife for close quarters.—Egad, that was a bright flash! and here comes my man; good-night, it is now close on midnight, Bill will wait till three in the morning—it is a famous night though! raining buckets, and dark as pitch! Don't let one of those accursed flashes show you dangling by the rope, or some one might spy you. Wait for a good blazer, and then drop like lightning, ha! ha! ha! good-night I'll have a jolly wet ride home."
He then wrung L'Estrange's hand, telling him they would meet at Philippi, or mayhap in Hades if there was such a place; he would find him out if he was above ground anywhere. And, following the turnkey, he left him to manage his escape as he best could.
END OF VOL. I.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.