h as if Colonel Gansevoort feared that, while our attention
was attracted toward the fiendish work of the savages, the British and
Tory soldiers might make an assault, for he ordered the number of
sentinels doubled and all the spectators to be in line, weapons in hand,
that no time might be lost in case it became necessary to move them from
one point to another.

Thayendanega's wolves did not count on keeping us waiting very long; but
as soon as the sun had set began crossing the river with their unfortunate
prisoners, singing and shouting, as if the capture and torturing of these
unarmed men was some signal act of bravery.

The corporal told off a certain number of those nearest to act as crew
for the gun, explaining to them just how they should set about the task of
recharging when once it had been discharged, and then the remainder of the
spectators, save we Minute Boys who were entitled to remain at our
stations, were forced to fall back that they might not impede the work
after it was once begun.

By this time Colonel Gansevoort himself had come up, and thus we
understood that he was to direct the firing. If our cannon could carry a
missile to the place of torture, then certain it was the red-skinned
brutes would receive a lesson well calculated to surprise those who were
left alive after the piece had been discharged.

The commandant did not wait until the horrible work was begun; but, once
the stakes were surrounded by the howling, screaming, dancing mob as they
placed the prisoners in the desired positions, the corporal got the word
for which he had been eagerly waiting.

A puff of dense white smoke, a report which was almost deafening to those
of us standing near by rang out.

Then we could follow the flight of the missile in the air until it struck,
as it seemed to me, within a dozen paces of those bloodthirsty villains
who stood on the outside of the throng, and, rebounding as does a flat
stone when a boy drives it along the surface of the water, it plunged into
the very midst of the fiendish crew.

I could see that one of the posts had been carried away by the ball, but
whether or no the prisoner was killed could not be told from so great a
distance and while he was surrounded by such numbers.

It was to be hoped the poor fellow had gone to his final account without
pain, as would have been the case had the huge shot struck him.

The gunners did not wait to see the result of their work; but instantl