being a very dark night.
He called out sturdily, 'Who goes there?' Upon which Richard Pendrell
answered, 'Neighbours going home,' or suchlike words. Whereupon the
miller cried out: 'If you be neighbours, stand, or I will knock you
down.' Upon which, we believing there was company in the house, Richard
bade me follow him close, and he ran to a gate that went up a dirty lane
up a hill. The miller cried out: 'Rogues--rogues!' And thereupon some
men came out of the mill after us, which I believe were soldiers; so we
fell a-running, both of us up the lane as long as we could run, it being
very deep and very dirty, till at last I bade him leap over a hedge, and
lie still to hear if anybody followed us--which we did, and continued
lying down upon the ground about half an hour, when, hearing nobody
come, we continued our way."

This led to the house of an honest gentleman named Woolfe, living at
Madeley, who was a Catholic, and loyal to his king, and as such was
known to the Pendrells. When they drew near to his house, Richard,
leaving his majesty in a field, went forward and asked this worthy man
if he would shelter one who had taken part in the battle of Worcester;
whereon he made answer he would not venture his neck for any man unless
it were the king himself, upon which Pendrell made known to him it was
his majesty who sought refuge from him. Mr. Woolfe came out immediately
and carried the king by a back way into a barn, where he hid him for the
day, it being considered unsafe for him to stay a longer period there,
as two companies of militia were at that time stationed in the town, and
were very likely to search the house at any minute. Moreover he advised
his majesty by no means to adventure crossing the Severn, as the
strictest guard was then kept at the ferries to prevent any Royalist
fugitives from escaping into Wales. The king was therefore obliged to
retrace his steps, and now sought Boscobel House, not far distant from
his first resting-place of Whiteladies. Arriving there, he remained
secreted in the wood, whilst Richard went to see if soldiers were in
occupation of the dwelling. There was no one there, however, but Colonel
Careless, the same good man and true who had helped to keep Sudbury Gate
whilst Charles made his escape.

The Colonel had been hiding in the forest, and, being sore pressed by
hunger, had come to beg a little bread. Being informed where the king
was, he came forth with great joy, and, the house