60 A JACOBITE EXILE

The fugitives had before learned that the search for Mr.
Jervoise had been given up; it being supposed that he with
his son and young Carstairs had, with their accomplices,
all ridden for the coast at the first alarm, and had probably
taken ship for France before the orders had arrived that all
outgoing vessels should be searched.

Harry and Charlie had both been away for two or three
days, and had been occupied in getting together ten young
fellows from the two estates, who would be willing and
ready to attempt to rescue Sir Marmaduke from his cap-
tors’ hands. ‘They were able to judge with tolerable accu-
racy when the messenger would return from London, and
two days previously the men had been directed to ride
singly and by different roads, and to put up at various
small inns in Manchester, each giving out that he was a
farmer in from the country, either to purchase supplies or
to meet with a customer likely to buy some cattle he
wished to dispose of. Charlie had paid a visit to Lynn-
wood, and had gone by the long passage into the Priest’s
Chamber, and had carried off the gold hidden there. As
soon as it was known that the messenger had returned,
Herries had borrowed a horse and had ridden with a note
to the farmer, telling him to go up to the hills and bring
the horses down with one of his own to the place where
he had parted from them when they entered Lancaster.

There he was met by Mr. Jervoise and the lads, and
mounting, they started with the spare horse for Blackburn,
choosing that line in preference to the road through Pres-
ton, as there were troops stationed at the latter town. ‘The
next day they rode on to Manchester. ‘They went round
that evening to the various inns where the men had put
up, and directed them to discover whether, as was proba-
ble, the escort was to arrive that night. If so, they were
to mount at daybreak and assemble where the road crossed
the moor three miles north of Chapel-le-Frith, where they