nation; for, on the ---- of April, myself and a few
others were set at liberty. We had made application the night before,
and passed the night in sleepless anxiety. At 10 o'clock orders were
sent down to collect our things. We dare not call our wretched
baggage, by any other than the beggarly name of "_duds_." In
consequence of this order, the turnkey conveyed us to the upper gate,
where we remained a while fluttering between fear and hope. At length
the sergeant of the guard came, and opened the gate, and conducted us
to the guard room, where our fears began to dissipate and our hopes to
brighten.--When the clerk entered, he must have seen anxiety in our
countenances, and was disposed to sport with our feelings. He put on a
grave and solemn phiz, mixed with a portion of the insolence of
office, as if he were about to read our death-warrants, while we cast
a look of misery at each other. At length, with apparent reluctance,
he vouchsafed to hand to each of us, like a miser paying a debt, the
dear delicious paper, the evidence of our liberty! on which was
written, "by order of the transport board." This was enough, we
devoured it with our eyes, clinched it fast in our fists, laughed,
capered, jumped, screamed, and kicked up the dirt like so many mad
men; and away we started for Princetown, looking back as we ran, every
minute, to see if our ceroebrus, with his bloody jaws, was not at our
heels. At every step we took from the hateful prison, our enlarged
souls expanded our lately cramped bodies. At length we attained a
rising ground; and O, how our hearts did swell within us at the sight
of the OCEAN! that ocean that washed the shores of our dear America,
as well as those of England! After taking breath, we talked in strains
of rapture to each other. "This ground, said I, belongs to the
British; but that _ocean_, and this air, and that sun, are as much
ours as theirs; or as any other nations. They are blessings to that
nation which knows best how to deserve and enjoy them. May the arm of
bravery secure them all to us, and to our children forever!" Long and
dismal as our captivity has been, we declared, with one voice, that
should our government again arm and declare war, for "_free trade and
sailors' rights_," we would, in a moment, try again the tug of war,
with the _hard hearted Britons_; but with the fixed resolution of
never being taken by them alive; or, at least, unwounded, or
unmutilated. I see, I feel that the _lov