olboys. They little thought or cared to whom the
property belonged, or who were the sufferers. They would just as
readily have burnt it had it belonged to royalists. They enjoyed the
sight of the conflagration--the effects of their own handiwork. Many of
the officers, too, shouted and clapped their hands, and seemed to take
as much pleasure in the mischief they were producing as the men; but
this might have been a mere exhibition of their loyalty and patriotism.
Having thus effectually destroyed the mills, our commanding officer
ordered us to march into the interior to forage, or, in other words, to
plunder any farms the army had spared, and to commit any other acts of
mischief the time would allow. I need not enter into particulars.
Cattle we spared, as we could not carry them off, but we collected sheep
and pigs and fowls wherever we could find them. To this, of course, I
could not object, as provisions were necessary; but at length we came to
the house of a gentleman--a colonel of militia we were told--and, though
no defence of it was attempted, it was proposed to burn it to the
ground. Against this further wanton destruction of property I loudly
protested--

"It has lately been said that I am a friend of the rebels," I exclaimed.
"That I deny; but I do not deny that I am ashamed to see my countrymen
destroy the property of people who make no resistance, and who are
Englishmen as much as we are. Such conduct can only cause a bitter
hatred to spring up in the breasts of the sufferers, which will make
them refuse ever again to become our fellow-subjects and friends."

Mr Edwards did not at all like my interference; but my remonstrance had
an effect, and though he allowed the house to be plundered, and the
furniture to be destroyed, he soon after ordered a retreat, observing
that he could not depend on my co-operation or assistance. The owner of
the house, as it turned out, was in the neighbourhood, with a
considerable body of men, and he very nearly succeeded in inflicting a
severe retaliation on us by surprising and cutting off our party.
However, we discovered his approach in time to get into order, and,
though he and his men followed us for some way, we kept him at bay, and
reached the river without loss. Lieutenant Edwards at once returned on
board our ship in the Charon's barge, leaving me in command of the
boats--directing me to land and forage at any convenient spot towards
the mouth of the river. He