Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-10-31

anu hC hSSpOuueu.
Il think it's the other way, jim"
Then / tripped him.
"Well, old chap?" said 1.
"You gave me that fall fairly" he
said admiringly.
well, You are my prisoner" said
Its the old trick" l added.
"Well, yes" he said sullenly, "but ]
don't see how you are to get me
away"
Nor l."
Just then in the glade-it was q
grassy stretch with great trees about
a man appeared; then others; Of Della.
ware, Colonel Haslet's command.
Jack, my cousin, raised himself.
"Well?"
II have prisoner" said l.
"a prisoner" said they. Its ques.
tion how we are to get back to the
lines. We have 22.''
II have the twenty-third-o of my
own family" l retorted.
The noise of the fight swept past us.
II am Manners, you know, captain in
the Westchester Loyalists," said Jack.
l laughed.
81 am his cousin, captain in the
New York side of the questioned the
generals staff" cried.
"Oh, Jim, you know that fall better
than L." he retorted.
$50 1t seems" said, yet not trium-
phantly; was sorry for him. A score
of men We're about us, telling how gal
liant n fight Colonel Smallwood had
made against the greatest odds.
eve with Smallwood's were rallying
here" the man went on.
AT the moment an officer burst
through the glade with an order.
Take the prisoners back" he said,
indicating stretch behind the trees.
AT the moment they burst in on us, 1t
seemed from everywhere; the peaceful
glade turned to fighting, to struggling.
Now, it's hard to say exactly what a
man says or does In such struggle.
at least hardly know. l saw men fall
and rise; know we turned back again.
know we were outside in the OPEN
that is, was conscious of wading to
my knees in the mud and water of the
marsh-of whizzing shot-of men in
red on the cliff beyond, and then it all
fell qnieter. We were under the
heights, which blazed down over our
heads. We We're rushing up the in
cline.
Ten minutes after 1, tattered, pow
der begrimed, was standing by the
chief.
Il was there too late, SIR" said
"They were already surrounded"
Yes, yes" he said sadly, for the
carnage of ours Mt that moment SEEM
ed fnconceivable.
1--WE have % prisoners" the officer
OF Haslet said.
What of that?' he cried irritably.
Lord Stirling and General Sullivan
are prisoners, and l don't know how
many dead"
at the moment q man came up with
a little smile Of self laudation on his
face.
I'VE bring 22-no, % of them cap
tured. Captain Manners has the
twenty-third."
Then l recollected it all. 1 had the
twenty-third. My own playfellow and
cousin-John Manners. They had
rushed him in.
We'll. WE'LL" said the chief, "includ-
ing Sullivan's, some 1000 are lost"
Nor had he, as it proved, underesti-
mated it.
Now he looked about darby. They
had carried all our outposts They
were down there under the works
themselves. Would they try to carry
them?
But MS 1t proved. General Howe, who
commanded, thought he had us, with.
out further bloodshed. He did not
calculate on what happened. We were
ready for a desperate resistance,
though our general counted on some
thlng better-on the tactics which later
won him his renown, and indeed our
independence; the retreat, to repeat, of
the weaker before the stronger.
We watched, and guarded and
mourned. The prisoners put some
Where In the works-not In this case
sent across to New York-were not SO
depressed as prisoners should be. They
rather were gleeful over the result,
Tor looked up my cousin in the long,
busy night. We had reason to be dis.
pirited enough, the wounded without
tent or shelter-the uncertain projects
OF the force massed there below our
works, who appeared already to be
devising regular approaches. Nor did
we know what they might be doing
over In New York. For though we
had regular communication with the
town-boats putting to and fro con.
stantly-our news but emphasized the
Of the situation. The New
Workers who Were left behind in the
Town were beside themselves with the
terror of abject fright The words, In
short, that We're brought to us from
here but emphasized the seriousness
If our position.
Now that l am writing this, SO long
litter, there gathers about the whole
the picture of one man, the
thief. 1 can see him, after the fear
ZONE moments when on the height he
lad watched the slaughter of his best
men without any power to stop it,
AN see him, say, as IL 'twere yester.
lay instead of now, matter of sew
raj score Of years. That yirginian
,entleman's self contained figure In
he darkness of that. busy, dreadful
light gave me at least confidence. We
lad to rely on some one. Our own wit |
ould devise no means. Who better
han he, the chief? l know now that
his was the day of his lowest fame.
We fairly had been worsted. The
nance Of the survival of the self de-
Jared United States appeared of the
mallest. We could not survive, in
eed. We could not endure against the
plendid discipline of the kings army
re at the best set Of sorry farmers
Nth no knowledge of warfare at all,
the best with nothing but our firm
elief In the principle we We're main
aiming. 1t was indeed the night of
ne merest chance, which was, in fact,
eemingly beyond question or retrieve
Rainst us,