About ten o'clock at night
Thus , all things looked black to the south , we had resolved to march northward in the morning , when one of our scouts from the side of Manchester , assured us Sir Thomas Middleton , with some of the Parliament forces and the country troops , making above 1200 men , were on the march to attack us , and would certainly beat up our quarters that night . Upon this advice we resolved to be gone ; and , getting all things in readiness , we began to march about two hours before night . And having gotten a trusty fellow for a guide , a fellow that we found was a friend to our side , he put a project into my head which saved us all for that time ; and that was , to give out in the village that we were marched to Yorkshire , resolving to get into Pontefract Castle ; and accordingly he leads us out of the town the same way we came in , and , taking a boy with him , he sends the boy back just at night , and bade him say he saw us go up the hills at Blackstone Edge ; and it happened very well , for this party were so sure of us , that they had placed 400 men on the road to the northward to intercept our retreat that way , and had left no way for us , as they thought , to get away but back again . About ten o'clock at night , they assaulted our quarters , but found we were gone ; and being informed which way , they followed upon the spur , and travelling all night , being moonlight , they found themselves the next day about fifteen miles east , just out of their way . For we had , by the help of our guide , turned short at the foot of the hills , and through blind , untrodden paths , and with difficulty enough , by noon the next day had reached almost twenty-five miles north , near a town called Clitheroe . Here we halted in the open field , and sent out our people to see how things were in the country . This part of the country , almost unpassable , and walled round with hills , was indifferent quiet , and we got some refreshment for ourselves , but very little horse-meat , and so went on .