was then but a small quantity of fnow drifted near her; but it was beginning to accumulate, and did actually accumu late fo rapidly, that, when Chefterton bell rang at eight o'clock, fhe was completely inclosed and hemmed in by it. The depth of the fnow in which fhe was enveloped was about fix feet in a perpendicular direction, over her head between two and three-Her imprisonment was now complete, for fhe was incapable of making any effectual attempt to extricate herfelf, and, in addition to her fatigue and cold, her clothes were ftiffened by the froft. Refigning herself, therefore, calmly to the neceffity of her bad fituation, she fat awaiting the dawn of the following day. To the best of her recollection fhe flept very little during the first night, or indeed, any of the fucceeding nights or days, except on Friday the 8th. Early the next morning the diftinctly heard the ringing of a bell at one of the villages at a fmall distance. Her mind was now turned (as it was most natural) to the thoughts of her preservation, and bufied itself in concerting expedients, by means of which any one who chanced to come near the place might discover her. On the morning of the 3d, the firft after her imprifonment, obferving before her a circular hole in the fnow, about two feet in length and half a foot in diameter, running obliquely upwards through the mafs, fhe broke off a branch of the bush, which was close to her, and with it thrust her handkerchief through the hole, and hung it, as a fignal of diftrefs, upon one of the uppermoft twigs that remained uncovered; an expedient which will be seen, in the fequel, to have occafioned her discovery. She bethought herself, at the fame time, that the change of the moon was near; and having an almanack in her pocket, fhe took it out, though with great difficulty, and confulting it, found that there would be a new moon the next day, February 4th. The difficulty which the found in getting the almanack out of her pocket arofe, in a great mcafure, from the ftiffness The ftiffnefs of her frozen clothes, before-mentioned. trouble, however, was compenfated by the confolation which the prospect of so near a change in her favour afforded. The extremity of this hole was clofed up with a thin covering of fnow or ice, on the first morning, which cafily transmitted the light. When she put out her handkerchief the broke it: in confequence of which the external air being admitted, the felt herself very cold. On the fecond morning it was again clofed up in a fimilar manner, and continued fo till the third day, after which time it remained open. She perfectly diftinguished the alterations of day and night; heard the bells of her own and some of the neighbouring villages, feveral different times, particularly that of Chefterton, which rings every night at eight o'clock, and four in the morning, during the winter half of the year, Sundays excepted, and is at the diftance of nearly two miles from the place where the fat. She was fenfible of the living scene around her, frequently noticing the found of carriages upon the road, the natural cries of animals, fuch as the bleating of sheep and lambs, and the barking of dogs. One day the overheard a converfation carried on by two gipfies, relative to an afs which they had loft. She afterwards specified, it was not their affes, in general terms, that they were talking about, but fome particular one; and her precifion in this refpect has been confirmed by the acknowledgment of the ipfies themfelves. She recollected having pulled out her fnuff-box and taken two pinches of snuff, but, what is very strange, the felt fo little gratification from it, that she never repeated it. A common observer would have imagined the irritation arifing from the fnuff would have been peculiarly grateful to her, and that, being deprived of all other comforts, she would have folaced herfelf with thofe which the box afforded, till the contents of it were exhaufted. Possibly, however, the cold fhe endured might have fo far blunted her powers of fenfation that the fnuff no longer retained its ftimulus. At another time, finding her left hand beginning to fwell, in confequence of her reclining, for a confiderable time, on that arm, fhe took two rings, the tokens of her nuptial vows twice pledged, from her finger, and put them, together with a little money which the had in her pocket, into a small box, fenfibly judging that, should fhe not be found alive, the rings and money, being thus depofited, were lefs likely to be over-looked by the difcoverers of her breathless corpfe. She frequently shouted out, in hopes that, her vociferations reaching the ears of any that chanced to pass that way, they might be drawn to the fpot where he was. But the fnow fo far prevented the tranfmiffion of her voice, that no one heard her. The gipfies, who paffed nearer to her than any other persons, were not fenfible of any found proceeding from her fnowformed cavern, though the particularly endeavoured to attract their attention. When the period of her feclufion approached to a termination, and a thaw took place on the Friday after the commencement of her misfortunes, the felt uncommonly faint and languid; her clothes were wet quite through by the melted fnow; the aperture beforementioned became confiderably enlarged, and tempted her to make an effort to releafe herfelf; but, alas! it was a vain attempt; her ftrength was too much impaired; her feet and legs were no longer obedient to her will, and her clothes were become very much heavier by the water which they had imbibed. And now, for the first time, she began to despair of ever being difcovered or taken out alive; and fhe declared that, all things confidered, she could not have furvived a continuation of her fufferings for the fpace of twenty four hours longer. It was now that the morning of her emancipation was arrived, her fufferings increased; fhe fat with one of her hands fpread over her face, and fetched the deepest fighs; her breath was fhort and diffi cult, ELIZABETH WOODCOCK. 17 cult, and fymptoms of approaching diffolution became every hour more alarming.-On Sunday, the 10th of February, a young farmer, whose name is Jofeph Muncey, in his way home from Cambridge, about half past twelve o'clock, croffed over the open field, and passed very near the spot where the woman was. A coloured handkerchief, hanging upon the tops of the twigs, where it was before said fhe had fufpended it, caught his eye; he walked up to the place, and espied an opening in the fnow. It was the very aperture which led to the prifoner's apartment, and which was fufficiently large to afford the woman space enough to move herself about three or four inches in any direction, but not to stand upright, being only about three feet and a half in height, and about two in the broadeft part. He heard a found iffue from it, fimilar to that of a perfon breathing hard and with difficulty. He looked in, and faw a female figure, whom he recognized at once to be the identical woman who had been fo long miffing. He did not speak to her, but, feeing another young farmer and the fhepherd at a little distance, he communicated to them the discovery he had made, upon which, though they scarcely gave any credit to his report, they went with him to the spot. The fhepherd called out, Are you there, Elizabeth Woodcock?" She replied, in a faint and feeble accent, "Dear John Stittle, I know your voice; for God's fake help me out of this place!" Every effort was immediately made to comply with her request. Stittle made his way through the fnow till he was able to reach her; the . eagerly grafped his hand, and implored him not to leave her. "I have been here a long time," fhe obferved. Yes,' answered the man, ever fince Saturday.' Aye, Saturday week," the replied; I have heard the bells go two Sundays for church." An obfervation which demonftrably proves how well apprized fhe was of the duration of her confinement. Mr. Muncey and Mr. Merrington, junior, during during this converfation, were gone to the village to in form the husband, and to procure proper means for conveying her home. They quickly returned, in company with her husband, fome of the neighbours, and the elder Mr. Merrington, who brought with him his horse and chaife-cart, blankets to wrap her in, and fome refreshment, which he took it for granted fhe would ftand in peculiar need of. The fnow being a little more cleared away, Mr. M. went up to her, and upon her entreaty, gave her a piece of bifcuit and a small quantity of brandy, from both of which the found herself greatly recruited. As he took her up to put her into the chaife, the ftocking of the left leg, adhering to the ground, came off. She fainted in his arms, notwithstanding he moved her with all the caution in his power. But nature was very much exhausted; and the motion, added to the impreffion which the fight of her husband and neighbours made upon her, was too much for her ftrength and fpirits. The fit, however, was but of fhort continuance; and when the recovered, he laid her gently in the carriage, covered her well over with the blankets, and conveyed her, without delay or interruption, to her own houfe. When the horfe came home, her hufband and another person fet out on the road with a lantern, and went quite to Cambridge, where they only learnt that she left the inn at fix that evening. They explored the road afresh that night, and for four fucceeding days, and fearched the huts of the gipfies, whom they fuspected might have robbed and murdered her, in vain, till fhe was unexpectedly discovered in the manner already mentioned. Mr. Okes, a furgeon, firft faw her in the cart, as he was removing home. She spoke to him with a voice tolerably ftrong, but rather hoarfe; her hands and arms were fodden, but not very cold, though her legs and feet were, and the latter, in great measure, mortified. She was immediately put to bed, and weak broth given her occafionally. From the |