A Chance Encounter at Jericho

It was around Jericho that a party of soldiers came upon Michael Howe and Mary Cockerill. Shots were fired between Michael and the advancing soldiers and he was forced to abandon his knapsack, blunderbuss and beloved gardening book, in order to hasten his retreat into a thicket. It was said Mary fell behind as she was suffering fatigue, however, she quickly regained her health while with the soldiers and guided the party 11 miles from Jericho, where four of the gangs huts were situated. After burning these to the ground, they spotted Michael, James Geary and Peter Septon standing on a high hill, with the two parties separated by a river. Knowing his position gave him the upper hand, Michael, James and Peter gestured cheekily to Mary and the soldiers before disappearing again into the bush. Mary then guided the soldiers across the river and the party continued their pursuit of Michael for two days.