Page:Letters of John Andrews.djvu/65

 LETTERS OF JOHN ANDREWS. 59

could not do it again, as that was only by chance. He loaded again. Where shall I lire? To tin- left — when he perform' d as well as before, (dine! once more, says the officer. — lie prepar'd the third time. — Where shall I fire naoio ' — /// the < '< nh r. — He took aim, and the ball went as exact in the middle as possible. The officers as well as soldiers star'd, and tho't the Devil was in the man. Why, says tin' countryman, I'll tell you naow. I have trot a boy at home that will toss up an apple and shoot out all the seeds a- its coming down.

The Country towns, iu general, have chose their own officers, and muster for exercise once a week at least — when the parson as well as the Squire stands in the Ranks with a firelock. — In particular at Marblehead, they turn out three or four times ;i week, when Col. Lee as well as the Clergymen there are not asham'd to appear in tin- ranks, to be taught the manual exercise, in particular.

One more anecdote, and I'll close this barren day. When the 59th Regimenl came from Salem, and were drawn up on each side the Neck, a remarkable tall countryman, near eighl feet high, stinted between 'em, at the head of his waggon, looking very sly and con- temptuously on one side and t'other; which attracted the notice of the whole regiment. — Ay, ay, says he, you don't know what boys we have got in the country. I am near nine feet high, and one of the smallest among 'em — which caus'd much merriment to the spectators, as well as surprise to the soldiers. Indeed, lhll ! were I to tell you of all the jokes and wittisisms of the Country people, I would have little else to do.

October 2d. Yesterday a Serjent and eight men of the Royal "Welch fusileers were to he try'd at a Court martial for endeavoring to make their escape from the Regiment, with two others who betray'd 'ein : their intentions were to go off in a body, and take the standards with them.

October 3rd. Am told the general has assur'd the respective Regi- ments this day, that they shall go into barracks in three days, as they were very apprehensive of a mutiny; the hard service and had accom- modations having rais'd great discontents among them. But where he means to provide for 'em, I don't know, as they can't get a work- man here, though they have offer'd so high as two and three dollars a day, or even auy price at all, if ever so extravagant; as they are oblig'd to dismiss the Carpenters they had from the ships, being \er\ ignorant of the method of framing and indeed of any sort of work that they wanted done.

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