It is stated by contemporary authorities that the roads
were very bad at the time; while another reason assigned for the slow
travelling of the messengers, who had carried the proclamations, is the
shortness of the days. It appears that travelling by night at that time
was never contemplated. Thus on the third day after the discovery of the
treason--the day on which the conspirators met at Holbeach--the
authorities in the counties, in which the traitors were assembled, had
received no tidings even of the existence of a plot.

While they were occupied in making their preparations in the house, a
spark of fire dropped on about two pounds of gunpowder, which had been
laid on a plate near the chimney, for the purpose of being dried. One of
the party chanced to throw a log of wood on the fire; this raised the
sparks, one of which fell on the powder, causing an explosion, by which
the roof of the house was blown off, and the persons of Catesby,
Rookwood, and Grant blackened and scorched. It was remarkable that a bag
of gunpowder, of considerable size, which was lying in the room at the
time of the explosion, was blown into the court-yard without being
ignited, or none of the conspirators could have survived, and thus the
whole of the plot would have been for ever enveloped in mystery.
Catesby, Rookwood, and Grant were partly disabled by the explosion, "so
bearing in their bodies," says Fuller, "not [Greek: stigmata], _the
marks of the Lord Jesus Christ_, but the print of their own impieties."
As the house had caught fire it was deemed necessary to open the doors
and attempt to escape; but when the bars of the outer gates were removed
to permit the conspirators to rush forth, the sheriff's men rushed in,
so that escape was impossible. The battle now raged in the court-yard of
the house with great violence. Catesby and Percy placed themselves back
to back, and fought, though the former had been partly disabled by the
explosion, with desperate courage. One of the sheriff's men levelled his
piece across a wall, taking deliberate aim at Catesby and Percy, both of
whom fell by the same ball, the former dead on the spot, and the latter
mortally wounded[16]. The two Wrights also were slain, during the
encounter in the court of Littleton's house; Rookwood and one of the
Winters were wounded; and the rest were taken prisoners.

[Footnote 16: "Never," says Fuller, "were two bad men's deaths
more generally lamented of all good me