The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-09-06

we Chu U say. I1s may Da IN n1u1uE on
| the wolds. IL so, we're sure 10 catch him
sooner or later. On the other hand, he NAV
have got of in the Devotion direction, and
may intend getting aboard some vessel IL he
can"
al presume all the ports have been
warned ~
eyes, sir, and our men are securing the
whole Lean Valley, and intend sweeping
round by Beacon Hill and down the Dove
they'll find him If he's on the moor
The Governor thought for a moment or
two.
TITS strange" he said al length, that
nobody set eyes on him after he got to the
farm. What did he do at divers, ell 2"
Drove up as bold as you please and pre-
tended to be the Doctor. Went into the
house and asked to see the patient. But,
bless you. sir, the child as is sick wouldn't
look at him and began TO cry; she could tell
he wasn't the right man, sharp enough.''
Well, what then % Didn't any one else
see through the disguise 20
"Not one. sir. They told me as how le
said No. 457 did--that the child was ex-
cited, and he made 'em all leave the room
and said he would wait bit. Then they
gave him some'at to eat by himself in the
parlor and by and by he walked out of the
house. lie said he was going to see II his
away then. They found he'd taken loaf
and h lot of cheese with him from the table:
anyhow, he won't starve for day or two,
He's plucky chap, II he is a convict, sir"
concluded the warder, in tone of irrepres.
sible admiration.
"Well, he's half murdered the Doctor.
II only catch him ~ aud the Governor ex-
pressibly relapsed into silence.
Meanwhile the fugitive had not fled far
from the prison. Ne had not thought of
getting away to the sea coast-he knew the
risk would be- too great. If he could elude
capture for week or two he would have n
fair chance of being able to stink away when
the news Of the escape had somewhat blown
over. In the pocket of the Doctors great.
coat he had found some few shillings In sill
yer, and--what was of still more value TO
him-a flask full of brandy. Alta roadside
inn, after leaving the horse and chaise to
shift for themselves, he had entered the bar
and asked to purchase some bread aud meat.
They had no meat they said, aud never
sold bread. What did they sell then, Ste.
phens asked. Nothing 10 carry away, was
the reply, except, on second thoughts, his
cults. He bought huge baskst full Of very
hard dry biscuits, and with these and the
loaf aud cheese he had pnrloined at the farm
and the brandy he believed he would be able
to last in concealment till his pursuers were
tired of hunting for him.
But where to hide? Stephens had made
his plan beforehand made Il on tho morning
when he had been conveyed in a wagon, with
dozen other convicts, from the country
railway station up to the Jail, had noticed
the character of the country he passed
through-the wild, billy, and craggy Learn
shire district aud formed his own conclu-
sions.
Now he was about to put his theory TO the
test. lie struck straight away up the course
of the Dove till he came, far from human
habitation, to the rugged and desoate valley
perhaps he might meet fisherman Ia the
higher reaches of the river, he stuck up the
side of the hill, and came at length On the
great upland morass whence sprung the
Dove, the Lean, and the Avon streams, In
the distance he caught sight of man cut
ting wheat. He Owed down again toward
the course of thu river. He was getting very
tired. As he was swiftly walking through
the long grass and tangled shrubs that Law
on the surface Of the soil he nearly precipi.
tated himself down sheer. face Of rock.
The side of the valley suddenly became v.rv
steep, springiny down in rocky lodges To the
brawiing stream beneath. was lust the
sort of place that Stephens wanted.
The stream. to, broad and deem 10 ~ al :.
across at this spot. ran and fall nvsr great
slabs of red sandstone. which IL had worn
and hollow ed into innumerablec curves. Tn.
sides of the valley we're also compos.d of
this beautiful stone. but they were for the
mos. part covered with cliurinp bushes and
trees that h ad managed to insert their roots
clambered along one of the Lodges he c1me
suddenly upon mountain Sheep the crea
ture bounded from rock to rock aud escaped
at the risk of its life. The convict thought
that II other provisions failed him he might
contrive to kill sheep at night time and
roast portion of 1t. But now he was
searching, steadily and persisten.ly, for the
sort Of aperture in the hillside whicl, hs
wantel. High up, at spot near the top of
the cliff face, he found two dwarf trees
matted together in tangle of boughs, and
the trunks growing horizontally straight out
from the face OF rock. Behind, when he had
by dint OF crawling and dragging himself up
managed to get there, he found kind of
natural arbor formed by the two sides of a
rocky angle, with projecting roof, while
the front OF the den was perfectly concealed
by the branches of the trees. Stephens
knew that often cliff of sandstone which
looks quite fiat to the eye yields numerous
corners aud angles which would serve as
very good shelter both from pursuers and
bad weather.
1t was such place that he had now dis
covered, and although he had no more than
room to stretch himself at full length on the
floor of slab, crusted with small lichens, he
felt that he could defy capture as long as
provisions lasted.
Ill.
TWAS three weeks afterward. and the run.
away had not vet been arrested. But ths
Governor of Lowmoor was rejoicing in His
soul because of tidipgs lust received. After
fortnight had elapsed. and the CON viot was
still at liberty. IL had really seemed bicl,Iv
probable that he would never be taken-fbat
he had managed 10 get clear away. either
into some distant part of England or on 10
the Continent Tia might have contriv.d to
secrete himself as n stownwav on hoard sop,s
shin at Devotion. and 40 have escansd.
But the watch ON the wolds was still kant
up, and now il was reported that the furi.
tive was living hid somewhere among tbs
rocks and morasses on their immsnss AREA
The head and legs of a mountain shesp had
been found by an angler In nook under a
stone. ON the stream not far from Rsacon