r.

At one time we came on about two hundred of their stragglers, and we
fortunately numbering very strongly, were enabled to engage them and
drive them back. Soon after this I had another very narrow escape. One
of the enemy had lain in ambush in a thicket at the top of a mountain
where I myself was straggling. I had no one near me at the time, and
this fellow in the bush fired at me. The shot first took the ground
and then bounded up against my brass breastplate, which was fixed on
my cross-belt, and probably served on this occasion to save my life.
The Frenchman, as soon as he had spent his shot, bolted; I had my own
musket loaded at the time, but I did not think of firing, but
proceeded after him with all my speed till I came up with him. I did
not think I could run so fast. I have made Frenchmen run before, but
it was generally after me. When he saw he was outdone he showed very
poor pluck, for he immediately threw down his arms and gave himself up
to me. If he had had any spirit he would not have done that so easily;
though certainly I was loaded, while he was not, having, as I before
said, exhausted his shot, owing to my plate, however, I am happy to
say, without doing me the slightest injury.

I then began to strip him of his accoutrements and ransacked his
knapsack, but I was sadly disappointed in finding nothing about him;
so I took his musket and broke the stock, and left him, not feeling
inclined to be troubled with a prisoner, or to hurt the man in unfair
play. And I likewise felt quite pleased at my narrow escape, as those
sort of things often served as topics of conversation during our night
lounges when we were in pretty quiet quarters. The man himself seemed
very grateful that I did not hurt him after his offence; and the more
so when I returned him his not-fit-for-much kit in his knapsack,
nothing of his, in fact, being damaged except his musket; and he
walked away with an air of assurance, without appearing to be in any
hurry or afraid of being overtaken by any other of our men.

I then went on in search of my comrades, who had by this time left the
mountain for the neighbouring valley, and after running down the
slope, I found them posted in a house situated at the bottom. They had
been in search of provisions, but all they found was a cask of sweet
cyder, the French having evidently been there before us and the place
having been ransacked of everything but this. We drank as much as we
wanted and