move. She slipped faster and faster through the
water, and away she went before the wind with everything we could clap
on her like a scalded cock, as O'Driscoll remarked afterwards, and for
this time happily escaped the durance vile I had been anticipating. At
noon I made the signal that the enemy were still approaching, and at
four o'clock, they having anchored at the mouth of the harbour, I ran up
to the town with the conviction that Othello's occupation had gone. In
the evening I accordingly received orders to haul her on shore and to
join the Charon's at the battery in which they were posted. I do not
mean to say that we did not hope by some means or other to succeed, but
even the most sanguine could not help acknowledging just then that
things looked black and threatening in the extreme.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

DEFENCE OF YORK TOWN.--SENT WITH FIRE-SHIPS AGAINST FRENCH FLEET.--
FAILURE.--IN COMMAND OF BATTERY.--FIERCE ENGAGEMENTS.--COLONEL CARLYON A
PRISONER AND WOUNDED.--THE CHARON BLOWS UP.--DESPERATE CONDITION OF THE
TOWN.--DEATH OF MY OLD FOLLOWER.--ATTEMPT TO EVACUATE TOWN FRUSTRATED BY
A GALE.--I AM BADLY WOUNDED.--ARMY OF LORD CORNWALLIS CAPITULATES.--WAR
AT AN END.--PRISONERS KINDLY TREATED BY AMERICANS AND FRENCH.--MADELINE
BECOMES MY NURSE.--NEWS FROM ENGLAND.--SIR HURRICANE TEMPEST HAS LEFT ME
HIS HEIR.--I MARRY THE LITTLE REBEL.--FINIS.

I could not help feeling, in common with many other thoughtful officers,
that we were on the eve of great events. Each day, each hour confirmed
this opinion, and now we were startled if not confounded by the
undoubted information that General Washington had arrived with a
considerable body of troops from the north. He arrived on the 24th in
the Chesapeake, with, it was said, six thousand French and continental
troops, whom we had the mortification to see a frigate and a body of
transports go down to bring up, we no longer having the power to molest
them. Thus still further was the dark thunder-cloud augmented, about,
we believed, to break over our heads. Day and night, however, we
continued working at the batteries, and levelling houses, and clearing
all the ground round the lines of everything which might afford the
enemy shelter in their expected attack.

September 15th, 1781.--Two ships of the line and a frigate came up a
mile nearer the forts, and under cover of their guns foraging parties
went on shore, whom we were thus prevented from attacking.