o give up New York, and
content himself with trying to keep the British from going to
Philadelphia. Late in the fall he got across the Delaware River, with
the British close on his heels. Soon the river filled with ice, as the
cold weather came on, and the two armies lay one on one side and the
other on the other. The American troops had dwindled away until there
were only about three thousand of them.

Washington resolved that something must be done to raise the spirits of
the country, or the people would lose all hope of resisting the British
with success. At Trenton, on the opposite side from his own army, lay a
force of Hessians, who were German soldiers, hired by Great Britain to
come to America to fight, and Washington formed the plan of capturing
them.

On Christmas-eve, 1776, he crossed the Delaware with 2400 men. The night
was bitterly cold; a pelting hail-storm was falling; ice in great blocks
was running down the stream, and hindered the boats, so that the army
did not get across until four o'clock in the morning. Then the soldiers
formed in ranks in the darkness, and being divided into two parties,
started for Trenton, nine miles below. Washington led one of the
parties, and General Sullivan the other. As they plodded along through
the hail and snow, some of the men, exhausted, fell by the road-side,
and of these two froze to death before they could be rescued.

As the men under Washington reached Trenton, and began to capture the
Hessian soldiers set as sentinels to watch the road, they heard firing
on the other side of the town, and knew that Sullivan's men had come up.
Then both parties rushed swiftly toward the centre of the town, and with
very little bloodshed a thousand prisoners were taken. This was a great
success of itself, and had the effect which Washington had hoped for: it
gave the whole country new courage.

Washington then started back toward New York, and so rapid was his march
that the British commander became frightened lest the Americans should
retake the city, and he too went quickly back, and gave up all thought
of reaching Philadelphia that year.

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

A DISOBEDIENT SOLDIER.

BY DAVID KER.

"Now, lads, there's the battery; remember the Emperor himself is
watching you, and carry it in true French style. The moment you get into
it, make yourselves fast against attack; and mind that any man who comes
out again to pick up the wounded, even though I myself sh