You return to your regiment for a brief time, but soon find yourself longing for your darling Polly, so you decide that you must desert the Army. Knowing that the most common method of desertion is to go on regular leave and not come back, you approach your commanding officer and ask that he sign you a leave form. (Scouller 296) He says that he cannot grant you one, seeing as the 1708 Act provides only twenty days leave for every six months, and you used up all your regular leave time two months ago. (Ashton 420)
It can't be too difficult, though. There's been a lot of talk in your regiment recently about deserting, and it seems like people are abandoning the army in droves. One rumor going around holds that a man by the name of Tylor had made 60 pounds that year by deserting and reinlisting in the Army over and over again. (Scouller 296).
You weigh the consequences of deserting in your mind. In all likelihood, the Army would issue a proclamation in the next few weeks offering pardons to those deserters who turn themselves in before a certain date.(Ashton 402) If that happened, you could make your way to Devon and spend some time with Polly, and then return to your regiment without any harm done. If you were caught, though, you would probably suffer lashes, maybe a thousand or so. There is also the possibility of being shot to death, which rarely happened (Ashton 402) but was a possibility if the officers decided to make an example of you.
One day you find yourself particularly desperate to see Polly and decide it is time to make your escape. You wait for the bread wagons to be filled with sick and wounded soldiers for transport to a hospital, and, when no one is looking, wander into the line. After a couple hours, the horses stop to drink and you slip out the back of the wagon and sneak into the woods. You walk for days, spending the little money you have saved up to by bread and cheese. Eventually, you make it to Devon and stop into a tavern for a drink.
You begin a conversation with a man who you eventually discover is trying to recruit you for the Army. You panic, hoping that he doesn't notice your regulation boots, and say quickly that you have already served. He then demands to see your discharge papers, and when you do not produce them, he calls for the constable. Luckly, there is a lot of resentment against the Army because of its policy of impressement, and the constable refuses to arrest you. In fact, the whole town turns against the recruiter, one man even threatening his life. (Scouller 298). During the commotion, you pack your bags and sneak out of the tavern.
You find a job in a nearby town, and realize that your army days are, thankfully, over. Of course, you wonder what would have happened had you chosen to learn about the art of hair-dressing, so many years ago...