As soon as those honest Fellows had left us, we took our Course towards the River, but still kept in those Divisions of the Cantons where there were no Houses. I think we had saunter'd scarce two Days, when a little before Midnight we found ourselves at the End of the Canals where were Sluices which we knew nothing at all of before we came to them. This cursed Passage alarm'd us, and we tugg'd hard near an Hour before we discover'd which way the Sluice-Doors were to be open'd. At length we master'd the Difficulty, but then we were as weary as Dogs. In the mean time, there was a Necessity for our going over. It would have been a dangerous Enterprise in the Day-time, because no Body was suffer'd to enter this River without Leave from the Judges, not only by Reason of the Fishery, but in Respect to the Laws which hinder the Inhabitants from going beyond the Bounds of their Country; whereas in the Night-time there was seemingly no Danger of being so much as seen by any Person whatsoever. We had not above 4 Miles and a half to pass. La Foret, as he was more zealous to push on than I, so he was more tir'd. I bid him take a little Rest, because one of us at a time was enough to steer the Boat.
I kept exactly in the middle of the Current, and it being fine still Weather, our Boat drove down with the Stream imperceptibly. This together with the Fatigues we had undergone made me so drousy that I could not keep my Eyes open, and we slept so soundly that whether we were always so fortunate as to keep off of the Shore, or whether we did not sometimes dash against it, is more than I can tell, for we were not easily to be awak'd. Nor did I exactly know how long we slept; probably it would have lasted long enough to have refresh'd us, but as Misfortune would have it, it was interrupted on a sudden. Our paltry little Boat dash'd so vehemently against a Rock, that it push'd me out of my Place, and I fell with such Violence against a Shoal, that my Face look'd as if it had been scarify'd. My Comrade started out of his Sleep not knowing what the Noise meant, nor where he was, for he had quite forgot he was upon the Water, and cry'd all at once, Oh God! what's the matter? where am I? Tho' I had done myself a great deal of Mischief, I could not help laughing heartily. Are you there, said he, pray where are we? Hell itself can't be darker than it is here. Don't ask me, said I, for I can't resolve you, only this I am certain of that our Boat has just now beat against some Place, which gave me such a Fall that my Head is broke, and if I guess right, we must be got into that Cave which we are to pass thro'. I was so very sleepy, said he, that I did not consider we were in a Bark. Good God, how dark it is here! I think you were not mistaken when you guess'd that we were under Ground. Handle an Oar, said I, and try if you can feel what we are fasten'd to; we must certainly stick to something for I don't perceive that we stir, and yet my Hand tells me the Stream runs down apace, so that the Passage here must be very narrow.
La Foret was a bold Man, yet he was daunted at this dreadful Gulph; he was afraid to stir, and would willingly have stay'd where we were. When I saw there was no Good to be done with him, I grop'd with my Hands and my Oar, and found that we were inclos'd between two Points of the Rock. Come on, said I, there's no Harm, we are where I told you, I feel the Roof of the Cave with my Oar. Thereupon he bestirr'd himself, but notwithstanding all that we could do, I believe we were three Hours in getting out of that damn'd Place, after which we turn'd to the Right.
Wherever we came we met with Shoals, which no doubt were form'd by Parts of the Mountain that broke off every now and then, and obstructed the Passage. We run a-ground, or else beat against the Shore, at every Turn, so that it had been well for us if the Boat had not been so swift, but we could not stop her. In the mean time the Passage grew still narrower the farther we went, so that at last we could not go at all. Then my Blood came into my Face, and verily believing that we were absolutely lost, I was going to knock La Foret in the Head, to be reveng'd for the Mischief he had been the Cause of to me, without any Necessity. But I remember'd very luckily that I had formerly plung'd him in the like Scrapes, and that these were only the Consequences of our former Misfortunes.
Now, said I, my Friend, we are hamper'd, and I know not how we shall get off. If we had but steer'd to the Left, no doubt we should have had room, but I don't see how we can go back, 'tis a pretty way, and besides the Current here is too rapid. Upon this he sounded the Water, and finding it but three or four Foot deep, he stripp'd without saying a Word, and leap'd all at once into the Water. O Heavens! I cry'd, what are you doing? I thought I heard you fall over-board. Don't be afraid, said he, 'twas a voluntary Fall, I am going to examine the Depth and Breadth of this Pass. He had not been gone 20 Steps, but he guess'd he was at the very Point where the two Branches unite. He came to tell me the agreeable News, and added, that undoubtedly we were in the narrowest Part. Observing that there were but two Peaks where the Rock hinder'd our Passage, I took the Pickax and Mallet, and in less than two Hours demolish'd one of those Peaks. This Exercise, with what we had gone through before, made me extremely faint; we took some Nourishment in order to strengthen us, and we relied till we were in a Condition to begin our Work again. La Foret too try'd to demolish the other Peak that hinder'd our Passage, but whether the Stone there was harder, or that he did not act with that Strength as I did, he observ'd that he made but a very small Progress, so that I was fain to give him a Lift, and we work'd at it alternately.
We had labour'd a long time, and had not a great deal to do, when we heard a confused Noise approaching to us like Men talking; we stood still for a few Minutes to hearken to it, and perceiv'd that some Men were coming to us. Verily, said I to La Foret, our Flight has not been so secret, but it has been observ'd; perhaps the Day was far advanc'd before we enter'd this River, or it may be some body spy'd us in the Canals: Be it as it will, 'tis very probable that the Court was acquainted of it at Noon, and the King order'd Men to be sent out to apprehend us. You hear how they advance, continued I, they are just at our Heels; what shall we do now? Upon my Word, said La Foret, as for my part, I am of opinion that we should fight to the last Gasp. We have Tools here which will be of great Use to us for that Purpose; and on the other hand, if we suffer our selves to be taken, I apprehend that some unlucky Prank will be play'd us, and that we shall be sent to the Mines. Not at all, said I, there is no Danger; the King is too debonnaire to treat us after that manner; he has such a Value for our Workmanship, that he would not deprive himself of it by banishing us; besides, we can say with great Probability, that as we went upon the River with Design to examine the Diversity of its Shores, it happen'd unluckily in the Night-time that our Boat got loose before we perceiv'd it, so that we were drove down by the Current to the Place where they have found us. They will laugh perhaps at this little Disaster, but they'll be glad that they came so seasonably to our Assistance.
As my Comrade was going to make answer, we spy'd a Light. They could not be above 30 Paces from us, and they were in the same Arm of the River that we were, but in that Part of it which form'd an Elbow, so that tho' they had Candles, they did not see us. They were no sooner come thither, but their Boat, which probably was larger than ours, was hamper'd all of a sudden, and they seem'd to be uneasy at it. What shall we do now? said one of them. Why, said another, we will make the best Shift we can to get out of this Place, and we'll try to pass to the Left, which we should have done before, if you would but have been rul'd by me. We will do as you would have us, reply'd the former, but for my own part, I believe we may as well do nothing at all; 'tis possible that the Men we are in pursuit of have been gone this way twelve or fifteen Hours ago, so that by this time they are a great way off, or else have been cast away somewhere, as we had like to have been several times. If you will take my Opinion, we will return and say, which is true, that we met with such Obstructions that we could go no farther. The King, indeed, would be very glad to have those Men again, but he does not propose to hurt a Hair of their Heads; and you know that we were injoin'd to intreat them civilly to return, or to let them go in Peace in case they would not come back with us. We may say likewise, if you please, that we overtook them, but that not withstanding all we could say, it was not in our Power to persuade them to return, because they have not true Enjoyment in a Country, whose Maxims are so different from theirs, and that they have a mind to see if they can't find a way to their own Country, where they may have the free Exercise of their Worship, whereas here they dare not so much as defend it, as they have declar'd upon more Occasions than one. Upon this, they all said, Come away, we will agree upon what to say as we are going back.
After they were gone out of our Hearing, we did not budge for some time, because we were afraid they might alter their Minds, and that when they heard the strokes of our Mallet, they might be tempted to come back again. This Inactivity cast us naturally into a Doze, and at length into a profound Slumber. When we awak'd, we began to put our selves into the greater Hurry, because we were far from being hot, and were as fresh and brisk as if we had rested in a good Bed. Consequently we beat down the Angles that stopp'd us, and by main Strength forc'd open a Passage. Afterwards we found things as my Comrade thought we should, for immediately we had Room enough, but then the Place was so full of strong Echoes, that what would have charm'd us at another time, frighten'd us now from speaking, because at every Sentence you would have thought there had been a thousand Devils in the Air mocking you with their monstrous Voices.
Then we advanc'd very slowly, and in the mean time began to hear another confused Noise, not unlike the Rumbling of Thunder at a small distance, which made us even more afraid than we were before. A Man that thinks himself in Danger need have no other Affliction. Each of us rack'd his Brains to find out the Meaning of it. We were not very wide of the Mark when we imagin'd there must needs be a Place with a great Fall, and that the Noise we heard must proceed from some Cataract. There we thought our Ruine would be unavoidable. I did not dream then of what was told us of the Portuguese who formerly went that way, for if I had consider'd of it, I should not have been in so much Pain. As we had Cordage enough, I thought it high time to make use of it; we immediately took ten or twelve Spades and Mattocks, ty'd them up in a Bundle as tight as we could, and cast them into the Water as an Anchor. The Remedy was effectual, the Ground being uneven, our Machine stuck in a good Place, so that we advanc'd no further than the Rope would let us out. At the end of about twenty-five Fathom, my Comrade, who was commonly at the Head of the Boat to sound with his Oar, and to feel on both Sides what hinder'd our Passage, call'd out to me on a sudden to stand fast, because there fell some Water from the Top with which he was already wet to his Skin. Upon this I call'd him in, and after we had agreed that the Water we heard, and which no doubt was the same he then felt, could come from no other Place but the Top of the Mountain, from whence it precipitated by some Crevice into our River, we resolv'd to hale in our Anchor, but before we had got it half way up, our Cable broke, a Loss which however was not very considerable at that Juncture. I only endeavour'd to put my self in such a Situation as to avoid the impetuous Fall of the Torrent we so much dreaded. La Foret, by meer Force of Rowing, turn'd my Rudder so as to carry us against the Rock, so that we had the happiest Passage that could be without being in the least wet, but not without danger of being swallow'd up by the dreadful tossing and tumbling of the Waves, occasion'd by the Fall of so great a Quantity of Water from such an Eminence, and 'tis probable that if we had gone on the other Side, we should have been swallow'd up.
The rest of the Way that we had to go was not near so dangerous, and it pleas'd God we saw the End of it. When our Eyes began to see the Light again, we thank'd the Lord most heartily, and our Joy was such, that we have no Words in our Language strong enough to express it. However, we could not land immediately the Shores being too steep, so that we were oblig'd to fall down at least 3 Miles below the Mouth of the River, and then we went Ashore on the left Side in a Place of such Verdure as Nature seem'd to have made on purpose to solace us after having escap'd such manifest Dangers.