Moonfleet · Chapter
X: The Escape explained
John Trenchard, with a broken leg, is carried by Elzevir Block across the fields and up the treacherous Zigzag path on the cliff to escape the Posse after Maskew's death.
What happens
John Trenchard, with a broken leg, is carried by Elzevir Block across the fields and up the treacherous Zigzag path on the cliff to escape the Posse after Maskew's death. Elzevir's strength and determination are tested as he carries John, who struggles with pain and vertigo, toward a hiding place called Joseph's Pit.
Themes in this chapter
Loyalty and Betrayal
Elzevir's unwavering loyalty to John is shown as he risks his life carrying him up the cliff, even as John briefly feels anger at his impatience.
Revenge and Justice
Maskew's death hangs over the chapter, with John grappling with guilt and the consequences of the violence that has occurred.
Fate and Free Will
John and Elzevir's desperate escape highlights their struggle against the forces of fate, as they try to outrun the consequences of their actions.
Characters to notice
- John Trenchard
Suffers from a broken leg and vertigo during the escape; carried by Elzevir up the Zigzag.
- Elzevir Block
Carries John across the downs and up the cliff path, showing immense strength and determination despite his age.
- Mr. Maskew
Lies dead on the under-cliff with a bullet wound to the forehead, a sight that haunts John.
- Grace Maskew
John thinks of her grief over her father's death and wishes he could undo it.
Key passages
“I lay for a moment basking in the sun; and the wind, which a few minutes before threatened to blow me from that narrow ledge, seemed now but the gentlest of breezes, fresh with the breath of the kindly sea.”
For a moment I enjoyed the sun and the wind, which had changed from a dangerous blast to a gentle sea breeze.
John experiences a brief respite from danger, contrasting the calm with the preceding peril.
“We must be gone. They will not be back for some time yet, and, when they come, will not think to search closely for us hereabouts; but that we cannot risk, and must get clear away.”
We need to leave now. They won't return soon, and they probably won't search this area thoroughly, but we can't take that chance.
Elzevir urges immediate flight, aware of the risk of capture.
“I am beat, and can carry thee no farther for this present, though there is not now much farther to go.”
I'm exhausted and can't carry you any further right now, even though we're almost there.
Elzevir admits his physical limits after a long and arduous journey.
“Shut thy eyes, and keep them tight until I bid thee open them.”
Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to.
Elzevir instructs John to avoid looking down during the dangerous climb.
“We have but fifty yards to go to win, and now this cursed giddy fit has come upon the child, and he will fall and drag me with him; or they will see us from below, and pick us off like sitting guillemots against the cliff-face.”
We're only fifty yards from safety, but now John's vertigo has struck, and he might fall and take me with him, or the men below will see us and shoot us easily.
Elzevir's internal monologue reveals his fear and the high stakes of their escape.