Page:The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier.pdf/194

192 this man, one morning, soon after, went off without leave with some others, (who had permission,) across the mountain to New-Windsor, eight or ten miles distant, and did not return till after evening roll-call, at which time he was reported as absent without leave. The Sergeant-Major (who belonged to our company) chanced that evening to call the roll. He was a sheer sycophant and would, at any time, have a man punished, if he could by so doing ingratiate himself with the officers. He therefore, as might be expected, informed the Captain of the whole affair. The Captain ordered the Sergeant-Major to send the delinquent to him as soon as he returned, which he accordingly did. The Captain used but very little reasoning with him, before he began to use harder arguments than words could convey, urged by the weight of his rattan; after he had satiated his vengeance upon the poor culprit for playing the truant, he told him that the flour barrel was still to settle for, and then paid him for that, principal and interest.

Another affair, in which the Captain and he differed in opinion, happened while we were lying at West point: it was as follows: This man used sometimes to attend on the sergeants' mess, as they were allowed a waiter or cook, he acted as such at the time I mention. One morning after roll-call, we (the sergeants) allowed him, at his own request, to go and work for a farmer in the neighbourhood of the camp; he had done so before, and it was quite agreeable to us all, for he received his wages for his work in milk, butter, &c. which he always brought into the mess. On the day mentioned, he was at work at the farmer's pulling flax; the farmer had an orchard close by where our man was at work; the soldiers, as they passed, used often to pillage some of the good man's apples. To prevent these depredations upon his property, in some measure, he requested our soldier to take an old musket belonging to the house, loaded with powder only, and when any of the plunderers passed by, to pretend that he was a sentinel, and drive them off; not content with going thus far, he must put a small blighted apple into his musket for a ball. It was not long before he had an opportunity to exercise his sentryship, for several soldiers coming by and taking the liberty, as usual, to take some fruit, they were ordered off by our hero,