North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1839-08-14


firearms. Either our guide was fright
ened by it, or he had more plausible rea.
sons than those he gave he told Us that
he could 90 no further. In vain did we
make him the finest promises in vain Did
We urge him not to abandon us. Under
the pretenee Of accommodating so as to
evade a guard he went round a rock and
was seen no more. We were then about
one mile and half from the line The
movements that we remarked at a house
where he told US there was guard, made
Us believe that we were discovered, which
might have been the case. For with
confidence which was not guided by pro-
dence, we had given our real names al
! though there was price sci on the heads
Of many Of US. However in retreating to
the woods, we could have waited for day
light and then proceeded towards the
States. This was the advice gave to
my companions. 1t was true that a little
snow which had fallen the day previous
might have exposed our retreat, but would
/ it not have operated The same way, what
ever route we might have taken ? Nv
companions preferred retracng their steps
TO a barn which was behind US. Arrived
at this barn, taking the precaution always
to walk in our first footsteps, we decided
to retreat to Canada with the intention of
keeping ourselves secreted, under assumed
names, far away from our residences. 1t
was an act Of discouragemen and even of
despair, brought on by the sad disappont-
ments we had met with.
7h DECEIVE arrived at ---- at 7
O'Clock in the morning. With a better
acquaintance with the country, or rather
with stronger desire 10 escape than we
then had, we could have avoided this vii
! Iage, where there was a guard, But we
were in that state Of depression Of mind
where life and death are quite Indifferent.
We were resting without any apprehen-
sion in a house owned by a Canadian,
when band OF 80 or 40 men, armed with
bludgeons, came 10 take US. We surren-
dered our arms and followed them TO a
tavern where, for orr money, we had a
good breakfast. Among those who took
us there was a Mr.. - who had seen
us the dav before at ---. He adj
duced this fact in our favor as proving that
we were not at the battle of Moore's Cor
ner, Of which we were suspected. Besides
that, we gave good apparent reasons for
our fight to the States. We said we had
never taken any part in politics that for
this reason being DESTROYS of not taking
arms either for the patriots or the royal
lists, we thought it advisable to leave The
country. These reasons appeared so
plausible to the good people Of ----
that they regretted that none Of them had
the power TO release US but we were well
treated, keeping US only in sight. They
took US to Missiskoui-Bay under strong
escort, but did not tie us.
At Missiskoui Bay we were received
by a certain number Of militia under arms ;
their victory Of the preceding day seemed
to render them very insolent. We
were examined by magistrate of the place
to whom we gave our assumed names !;
we knew then all the importance of incog
for US on this occasion. Ny name was -.
Wegave the story ofour fight 10 the States
in such favorable colors, and at the same
time our reasons seemed TO be SO plausible
that we would have been set at liberty, If
unfortunately one Of US had not been recog-
nized by the magistrate. Two other ma
gistrates who had heard nothing OF our
case, decided that we were guilty because
we were Canadians. We were therefore
Immediately tied together with ropes
and thrown on board Of a Wagon, where
we were one over the other, without being
able 10 stir, so as not to hurt our COM
paBions The roads had become very
rough by the cold weather. and we
were so jolled that we were severely
hruised when we arrived at Isle .4tlr Eoiy.