ngth the
door was slowly and cautiously opened, and the worthy farmer and his
portly dame stood before us. I asked him his name.

"Ruggles," he answered, looking as if he did not love me certainly,
"Ebenezer Ruggles, and that's my wife Bridget. And now, stranger, what
is it you want of us?"

"Why, my friend, all I want you to do is to guide a party of his
Majesty's troops and blue-jackets by the nearest and best road to the
town of Hampton, and to give me such other information as I may
reasonably require," I replied, somewhat sternly. "I have lost some
time already, so put on your hat and great coat and come along."

"What! you are going to carry my husband off, are you? He'll not go; I
tell you that he shan't!" exclaimed Mrs Bridget, walking up in front of
him, like a turkey hen defending her young. "Whatever you want to know
I'll tell you, but you shan't take away my good man from me. He'd catch
his death of cold, I know he would. Here, Jeremiah! Boaz! Timothy!
Luke! Sarah! Martha! Jane! come and stop your dear father from being
shot, murdered, drowned, hung up as a Tory! Oh, dear, oh, dear! I
don't know what will happen to him."

As she spoke, a number of children streamed in from an inner room, the
smaller ones in their night-gowns, and all more or less in _deshabille_,
as if they had been hurriedly summoned out of their beds. They looked
at me, and the soldiers and sailors behind me, and then threw themselves
shrieking and crying round their father's neck. As I knew that we
should take very good care of the poor man, I could not stand this scene
very long, and had at last to tell him that he must put an end to it, or
that I must order the soldiers to separate him from his children and to
carry him off by force.

"Oh, you cruel, hard-hearted slave of a tyrant!" exclaimed their mother,
advancing boldly towards me; "you will not take him away--you will not--
you dare not! You'll have his life to answer for if you do."

"Come, come, madam," said I, "we must end this business at once. Your
husband must accompany me at all events. No harm will happen to him, so
don't be alarmed. Now, sir, put on your hat and accompany me."

I had a strong suspicion that she wished to gain time, and had perhaps
sent off some one to try and bring down the enemy on us.

Again there was a furious chorus of hugging and shrieking and crying and
kissing.

"Don't go--you shan't go--Papa, you mustn't go--we won't le