The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-10-23
A STORY OF THE REVOLUTION.

mead suddenly.
1.-THE Cross Keys" said he ''has never
known hvelier company"
''That fat pirate" replied the wife,
'-would make Quaker laughn'
SAY, it's merry rascal. y
''Folk say remarked his helpmeet,
"Howe has written to King George that
we Long Islanders are ready to take the
cath of allegiance. amt ready to take
such an oath, Joris."
''BahI you're not Long Islander;
you're woman! AS for me, am too
old to fight on either side, so I'll live in
peace, with my customer for my king"
''This English major certainly do bring
us plenty of business, Joris."
sob, Shelton knows on which side his
boast is buttered; he quarters the Amer
lean prisoners in this neighborhOOd and
boards at the Cross Keys himself, free of
charge"
''And you allow him per cent on the
prisoners ale, don't you, Joris?''
Mrs. Van Buren," replied her lord,
eurtly, that's a state secret!'
In the modern warfare of ''civilized'
nations the parole, as it existed i'll the
time of our revolution, finds scant recog-
milton; it has gone out with the slow
match and boarding-pike. 1t was custom
ary then for large numbers of prisoners OF
war to be given the freedom of certain
district, their word of honor being ac-
cepted that they would not attempt to
reioin their friends until given permits
sion to do 50 by the terms of mutual
exchange" Generally these prisoners
were attended by single officer; and in
the pregnant period of the revolution the
life of a prisoner of war with certain
shameful exceptions blotting the pages
of Britain's history, was by no means de-
void Of pleasurable incident.
Much has been written regarding the
whale-boat privateersmen of those days;
and, perhaps, considerably more to their
disparagement than circumstances justi
fly. They were but the natural offspring
of unnatural conditions. OF these rang
ers none achieved wider repetation than
Captain Mariner. An old record tells
us that che was a man of eccentric char
acter, witty and ingenious, and abound
ing in anecdotes" A careful perusal of
such of his remarkable adventures as are
preserved in the chronicles of his time
enables us to form a good idea of his
personality. He was as short as a Dutch
skipper; so fat that the ransacking of
stolen clothes chests formed no part of
his piratical amusements; and his face
might be likened to unprecedented
moon in state of general volcanic erup-
ton. The hollow tone of his voice led
to the pleasantly that 1.-THE captain had
swallowed northeaster, and was ped
ding it out in capfuls" 1t was indeed
ievial party that sat at the long table
beneath the maple trees.
"Silence. gentlemen!" cried one;
"Captain Mariner for a song
The captain arose and bowed, first to
the major (who sat, modify, few PAGES
from the head of the head of the table,,
then to his audience announced THE
Yankee Sword" and proceeded to sing
the following, to the air of an old sea
song:
Hurrah! hurrah for the Yankee sword!
In heaven it was made;
1t flashes bright in Freedoms light;
Hurrah for the patriot blade
The tYrant from his castle sees
Its glimmering afar.
And tOddlps about,
And tOddles about
And tOddles about with shaking knees;
For the Yankee sword-hurrah!
81 forbid you to finish that tuneless
doggerel!'' exclaimed Major Shelton
with as much dignity as though he were
King George himself.
''Egad, sir!' replied the captain, ''the
beauty of my song is that each verse is
complete in ITSELF
81 will have no more of the treasOna-
BILE stuffn'
''Shamer' cried dozen voices.
Perhaps" laughed the captain, ''our
British jailer would prefer the ballad of
The Cock-a-hoOp and the Gagged
Bagler"
Shelton's eyes blazed with anger at
this mock allusion to this relative posi-
tions; walking quickly to the back of
the captain he dealt him such blow in
the face that the sea dog was knocked
into his neighbours lap. With loud cries
Of HVillainw and "Cowardr" dozen
men sprang to avenge this unsoldier-like
act, But Mariner was not the man to
require assistance in such matters.
''Pray return to your seats, gentle
men," he said; then in tone of mock
reproOf, he added: "Whatl attack with
your own hands poor fellow who has
nnught but sword and pistols wherewith
10 defend himself! For shame, boysr'
Turning to Shelton, who stood with his
hand on the hilt of his saber, he said in
an undertone: ''For a prisoner of war
b lay finger on his guard is, as you well
know, to incur the penalty of death; be-
sides, you are armed and l am not; but
shall repay you before many daysv'
81 shall not avoid you-when you are
entitled to wear a swordr' retorted the
major, contemptuously; then, as the
company broke up, in disorder, I've step.
ped into the inn, TO pen a line to the
British general, asking for a few troops
"to prevent a certain INSCRIPTIONS rebel
oae Mariner from breaking his parole. -
The captain, however, had no such in
tention. A glance or two at the hostelry