Rambles among the Channel Islands / by a Naturalist.

Date:
[1855?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Rambles among the Channel Islands / by a Naturalist. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/402 (page 30)
    sea, while the natives invested them by land. The French now became extremely anxious to cx)mmunicate with Normandy, and, according to the historian Falle, adopted the following ludicrous stratagem in order to effect it. They imagined that possibly a small boat might pass undiscovered through the fleet, under favour of the darkness of night; this being their last resource, they resolved to make the attempt. Though they required but one boat, they caused two to be built; one openly on the ramparts, in view of the besiegers; the other near the former, but in a concealed position. The workmen were ordered so to time their blows, and strike nearly together upon the two boats, that from the camp without no sound might be heard but what would be sup- posed to come from the boat on the rampart. By this artifice the concealed boat was com- pleted while the workmen were still apparently busied about the other. The besiegers might have remained in ignorance of this artifice, had not a Jerseyman, who had been constrained to work at the boats against his will, shot an arrow, to which a letter was attached, and which revealed the whole scheme, into the camp of the besiegers. The fleet were thus put on the alert, and when the boat was launched, it was quickly intercepted. The French then, in