others were
forced to help them off, they were so faint. I never felt so much of
the power of hunger in my life, for having not eaten in thirty hours,
I was as ravenous as a hound; and if I had had a piece of horse-flesh,
I believe I should not have had patience to have staid dressing
it, but have fallen upon it raw, and have eaten it as greedily as a
Tartar. However I ate very cautiously, having often seen the danger of
men's eating heartily after long fasting.

Our next care was to inquire our way. Halifax, they told us, was on
our right. There we durst not think of going. Skipton was before us,
and there we knew not how it was, for a body of 3000 horse, sent out
by the enemy in pursuit of Prince Rupert, had been there but two days
before, and the country people could not tell us whether they were
gone, or no. And Manchester's horse, which were sent out after our
party, were then at Halifax, in quest of us, and afterwards marched
into Cheshire. In this distress we would have hired a guide, but none
of the country people would go with us, for the Roundheads would hang
them, they said, when they came there. Upon this I called a fellow to
me, "Hark ye, friend," says I, "dost thee know the way so as to bring
us into Westmoreland, and not keep the great road from York?" "Ay,
merry," says he, "I ken the ways weel enou!" "And you would go and
guide us," said I, "but that you are afraid the Roundheads will hang
you?" "Indeed would I," says the fellow. "Why then," says I, "thou
hadst as good be hanged by a Cavalier as a Roundhead, for if thou wilt
not go, I'll hang thee just now." "Na, and ye serve me soa," says the
fellow, "Ise ene gang with ye, for I care not for hanging; and ye'll
get me a good horse, Ise gang and be one of ye, for I'll nere come
heame more." This pleased us still better, and we mounted the fellow,
for three of our men died that night with the extreme fatigue of the
last service.

Next morning, when our new trooper was mounted and clothed we hardly
knew him; and this fellow led us by such ways, such wildernesses, and
yet with such prudence, keeping the hills to the left, that we might
have the villages to refresh ourselves, that without him, we had
certainly either perished in those mountains, or fallen into the
enemy's hands. We passed the great road from York so critically as to
time, that from one of the hills he showed us a party of the enemy's
horse who were then marching into Westmoreland. We lay st