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ed with every mark of friendship. After dinner he rode at the head of his squadron to water the horse, unsaddled. I remained alone in the house, entered the stable, saw three remaining horses, with saddles and bridles: in my chamber was a sword and a pair of pistols. I had but to mount one of the horses, and fly to the opposite gate. I meditated on the project, and almost resolved to put it in execution, but presently became undetermined, by some secret impulse. The next day he accompanied me alone in his carriage; we came to a forest; he saw some champignons, stopped, asked me to alight and help to gather them; he strayed more than a hundred paces from me, and gave me entire liberty to fly; yet notwithstanding all this, I voluntarily returned, suffering myself to be led like a sheep to the slaughter.

I was treated so well, and escorted with so much negligence, that I fell into gross error. Perceiving that they conveyed me straight to Berlin, I imagined the king wished to question me concerning the plan formed for the war, which was then on the point of breaking out. This plan I perfectly knew, the secret correspondence of Bestuchef, having all passed through my hands, which circumstance was better known at Berlin than at Vienna. Confirmed in this opinion, and far from imagining the fate that awaited me, I remained irresolute, insensible and blind to danger. Alas! how short was this hope! How quickly was it succeeded by despair, when, after four days march, I quitted the district under the command of the duke of Wirtemberg, and was delivered up to the garrison of infantry at Coffin ! The last of the Wirtemberg officers, when taking leave of me ap

peared to be greatly affected; and from this mo ment till I came to Berlin, I was put under a strong escort, and the given orders were rigorously ob served.

Arrived here, I was lodged over the grand guard-house, with two centinels in my chamber, and one at the door. The king was at Potzdam, and here I remained three days; on the third, some staff officers made their appearance, seated themselves at a table, and put the following ques

tions to me,

First, What was my business at Dantzic?

Secondly, Whether I was acquainted with M. Goltz, Prussian ambassador in Russia?

Thirdly, Who was concerned with me in the conspiracy at Dantzie?

When I perceived their intention by these interrogations, I absolutely refused to reply, only saying, I had been imprisoned in the fortress of Glatz, without hearing or trial, by court-martial; that, availing myself of the laws of nature, I had, by my own exertions, procured my liberty; and that I was now a captain of cavalry in the Imperial service; that I demanded a legal trial for my first unknown offence, after which I engaged to answer all interrogations, and prove my innocence: but that, at present being accused of new crimes without a hearing concerning my former punishment the procedure was illegal. I was told they had no orders concerning this, and I remained dumb to all further questions.

They wrote about two hours, God knows what; a carriage came up; I was strictly searched, to find whether I had any weapons; thirteen or fourteen ducats, which I had concealed, were taken

from me, and I was conducted under a strong escort through Spandau to Magdeburg. The officer here delivered me up to the captain of the guard at the citadel; the town major came and brought me to the dungeon, expressly prepared for me; a small picture of the countess of Bestuchef, set with diamonds, which I had kept concealed in my bosom, was now taken from me; the door was shut, and here was I left.

My dungeon was in a casement, the forepart of which, six feet wide and ten feet long, was divided by a party wall. In the inner wall were two doors, and a third at the entrance of the casement itself. The window in the seven feet thick wall was so situated that, though I had light, I could see neither heaven or earth; I could only see the roof of the magazine; within and without this window were iron grating, so close, and so situated by the rising of the walls, that it was impossible I should see any person without the prison, or that any person should see me. On the outside was a wooden pallisadoe, six feet from the wall, by which the centinels were prevented from conveying any thing to me. I had a matrass, and a bedstead, but which was immovable, ironed to the floor, so that it was imposible I should drag it, and stand up to the window; beside the door was a small iron stove and a night table, in like manner fixed to the floor,-I was not yet put in irons-my allowance was a pound and a half per day of ammunition bread and a jug of water.

From my youth I had always a good appetite, and my breath was so mouldy I could scarcely at first eat the half of it. This was the consequence of major Reiding's avarice, who endeavoured to

profit even by this, so great was the number of unfortunate prisoners; therefore it is impossible I should describe to my readers the excess of tortures, that, during eleven months, I felt from rayenous hunger.

My three doors were kept shut, and I was left to such meditations as such feelings and such hopes might inspire. Daily about noon my pittance of bread and water was brought. The keys of all the doors were kept by the governor : the inner door was not opened, but my bread and water were delivered through an aperture. The prison doors were opened once a week, on a Wednesday, when the governor and town major, my hole having been first cleaned, paid their visit.

Having remained thus two months, and observed this method was invariable, I began to execute a project I had formed, of the possibility of which I was convinced.

Where the night table and stove stood the floor was bricked, and this paving extending to the wall that separated my casement from the adjoining one. My window was guarded by a single centinel; I therefore soon found among those who successively relieved guard, two kind-hearted fellows, who described to me the situation of my prison ;hence I perceived I might effect my escape, could I but penetrate into the adjoining casement, the door of which was not shut. Provided I had a friend and a boat waiting for me at the Elbe, or could I swim across that river, the confines of Saxony were but a mile distant.

To describe my plan at length, would lead to prolixity, yet I must enumerate some of its circumstances, as it was remarkably intricate, and of giantic labour.

I worked through the iron, eighteen inches long, by which the night table was fastened, and broke off the clinchings of the nails, but preserved their heads, that I might put them again in their place, and all might appear secure to my weekly visitors. This procured me tools, to raise up the brick floor, under which I found earth. My first attempt was to work a hole through the wall, seven feet thick behind, and concealed by the night table. The first layer was of brick, I afterwards came to large hewn stones. I endeavoured accurately to number and remember the bricks, both of the flooring and the wall, so that I might replace them, and all appear safe. This having accomplished, I pro eeeded.

The day preceeding visitation all was carefully replaced, and the intervening mortar as carefully preserved: the whole had probably been whitewashed an hundred times; and that I might fill up all remaining interstices, I pounded the white stuff this afforded, wetted it, made a brush of my hair, then applied this plaister, washed it over, that the colour might be uniform, and afterward stripped myself, and sat with my naked body against the place, by the heat of which it was dried.

While labouring, I placed the stones and bricks upon my bedstead, and had they taken the precaution to come at any other time in the week, the stated Wednesday excepted, I had inevitably been discovered; but as no such evil accident befel me, in six months my herculean labours gave me a prospect of success.

Means were to be found to remove the rubbish from my prison; all of which, in a wall so thick, it was impossible to replace, mortar and stone could not be removed. I therefore took the earth, scaf

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