The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-11-30

clouds suddenly opened, and the rain
fell as if a Thousand shower-baths had
been all at once opened upon us.
Then, indeed, our situation became
comfortless enough. In the difficulty
of adjusting ourselves at all, cloaks and
great-coats necessarily lost their clasps,
and the neck and shoulders were left
bare. There was no remedying the
evil now; and though water ran down
our backs and shoulders like the sew
ers in Ii ,ate Hill after thunder
storm, yet was there much in the ap-
pearance of all about us calculated to
carry our thoughts beyond the present
moment,-at all events, to make us
think lightly of present grievances.
Not fewer than an hundred boats, of
all shapes and sizes, were making way
in regular column over the surface Of
the lake; they were all filled, to re-
pletion, with armed men and not q
sound issued from them, except that
which the rowing occaSioned. and an
occasional wor f command uttered
10y those i'll authority. E.rrA thing
was conducted in the most orderly
manner. The boats moved in lines Of
ten abreast; little way ahead Of them
sailed a couple Of cutters; the like num-
Der protected each of the hanks; and
the rear was covered by three travers.
There were appointed officers to each
division, who, placed in light gigs,
flew backwards and forwards as occa-
sion required, ,-hurrying on those who
Jagged behind, and checking the pro-
gress of such as were too nimble;
whilst Sir Alexander Cochrane, in 4
light schooner, kept just so far apart
as to see at glance how things were
going, and to superintend the whole.
| confess, that though | could have
wished for fine weather, | could not
help looking around with feeling OF
the highest admiration. Troops adj
vancing upon land present an imposing
appearance no doubt; but no land
movement, in which | had been an in
different spectator, ever struck me as
| was struck by the spectacle now in
view
We were all aware that the distance
from Pine Island to the Bays de Cata-
line,-the point towards which our
course was directed,-fell not short of
80 miles, and hence that there was but
slender probability of our setting foot
on shore before the morrow But the
prospect Of passing the night cramped
and coopcd up as we were, was certain
ly not hailed by anyone with either
satisfaction or Indifference. The iain
had fallen in such quantities, as not
only TO saturatc the clothing of every
individual, but seriously to incommode
us, creating a pool anklc-deep in the
bottom of the boat, while, on account
of our crowded state, we could not sue
ceed in baling it. 1t ceased, however,
at last, and was succeeded by keen
frost, and northerly wind as sharp
and cutting as any mortal woul' dcSir,
to face. l need not say, that the effects
of the change were perfectly felt by us.
We bore it, however, with the best
philosophy which we could muster;
and if complaint or murmur happened
from time TO time to break forth, it
was instantly rendered harmless by
some rude joke, or an inlmical express
sion of pity.
Such was the state of the weather,
in our not very enviable condition,
when 4 gig, passing along from front
to rear of the column, gave order that
the rowing should cease, and the avn
inus should be hoisted. Both COM
mands were instantly obeyed; and as
it seemed probable that we were to re-
main stationary for the night, we easi
ly persuad d our pilot to light 4 fire.
| cannot describe the nature of onr
feelings, as the pan of charcoal gradu-
ally threw out its heat on all sides.
As we were thoroughly soaked, and
our garments stiff with ice: | hardly
know whether the sudden application
of external heat to our bcnumbcd limbs
was productive Of pleasure or the re-
verse. But of whatever nature our
sensations might be, they were not
permitted long to exert their influence.
The fire was condemned to be extin-
guished; and in little more than an
hour after we had first dropped them,
the grapplings were raised, and the
squadron was again under weigh.
AS day dawned, a singularly wild
and uninviting waste Of country opened
out before us. We were now within Il
stones throw of the American shore,
and ran along its edge in search of the
mouth of the creek. 1t was complete
bog A bank Of black earth, or rather
black mud, covered with tall reeds,
constituted the single feature in the
landscape. Not trace of human in
dustry, not tree or bush of any kind
or description, not even mound or
hillock, served to break in upon the
sameness of the scene. One wild waste
of reeds alone m It the eye, except at
the very edge of the water, where the
slime which nourished them lay slight