Page:History of Delaware County (1856).djvu/213

 DELAWARE COUNTY. 189 ring on the ground, while the tin tea-kettle went rapidly round, as they each took deep and long draughts of the rum ; the effects of which soon began to show itself by their yelling and leaping. At this moment, when they appeared to be wholly occupied with themselves and their freaks, he stepped to the boat as if to fasten it better, when he gave it a violent push out into the river, and leaping into it as he did so, shot over to the other side. It was now nearly dark, as the whole transaction had taken place between sunset and twilight, and during the whole time a dense black cloud had been coming up from the south, which, just at the moment of his leaping into the boat, burst forth in a tremendous thunder shower, producing almost instantly, a total darkness. This, it is likely, was the only opportunity in which he could have made his escape, for in the uproar of their drunkenness and the thunder of the coming storm, they did not perceive his intention soon enough to prevent him, as they had no guns, or at least none had been brought to view as yet. The storm increased, the lightnings flashed around, the thunder rattled terribly among the mountains — the darkness was almost palpable, while the rain poured down in torrents — all of which aided him exceedingly in his flight. They, how- ever, soon perceived that he had escaped, and as soon attempted to follow ; this they did a mile or two along the shore, which he knew by their yells, heard between the claps of thunder, but which soon died away, overcome by rain and rum. All night he continued to push his boat up the river, and at day- light found himself at the mouth of Carres creek, ^ in the present town of Sidney. From this place he travelled through the wet and dripping woods to the place where Unadilla saw-mill in Sidney, on this stream.
 * So called, from a tory by the name of Carr, who built the first