t Champe
leniently should he catch him.

"Champe, however, was not caught. These delays had given him an hour's
start of his pursuers. It was a bright starry night and past twelve
o'clock when Middleton and his men mounted their horses and spurred
after him.

"Lossing tells us that the horses of Lee's regiment were all shod by a
farrier attached to the corps, and every shoe, alike in form, had a
private mark put upon it; so the footprints of Champe's horse were
easily recognized; for a fall of rain at sunset had effaced other
tracks, and often before it was light enough to see them readily, a
trooper would dismount and examine them. Ascending a hill near the
village of Bergen, they saw from its summit their deserting sergeant
not more than half a mile away. Champe saw them at the same moment,
and both he and they spurred on as rapidly as possible. They were all
well acquainted with the roads in that part of the country. There was
a short cut through the woods to the bridge below Bergen. Middleton
divided his party, sending a detachment by the short road to secure
the bridge, while he and the others pursued Champe to Bergen. As
Paulus Hook could not be reached without crossing the bridge, he now
felt sure of capturing the deserter.

"The two divisions met at the bridge and were much astonished to find
that nothing was to be seen of Champe. He knew of the short cut,
thought his pursuers would take it, and therefore decided to give up
the plan of joining the British at the Hook and take refuge on board
of one of two of the king's galleys that were lying in the bay about a
mile from Bergen.

"Middleton hurried from the bridge to Bergen, and asked if a dragoon
had been seen there that morning. He was told that there had been one
there, but nobody could say which way he went from the bridge. They
could no longer see the print of his horse's shoes, and for a moment
were at a standstill. But presently a trail was discovered leading to
Bergen; they hurried on, and in a few moments caught sight of Champe
near the water's edge, making signals to the British galley. He had
his valise containing his clothes and his orderly book lashed to his
back. When Middleton was within a few hundred yards of him he leaped
from his horse, threw away the scabbard of his sword, and, with the
naked blade in his hand, sped across the marsh, plunged into the deep
waters of the bay, and called to the galley for help. In response to
that a boat wi