me. Accordingly, he told the Captain of my unwillingness to be held, and he let me run at large once more; I then determined to wait my own time before I engaged again.
The inhabitants of the town were about this time put into what were called squads, according to their rateable property. Of some of the most opulent, one formed a squad,—of others, two or three, and of the lower sort of the people, several formed a squad. Each of these squads were to furnish a man for the army, either by hiring or by sending one of their own number.
I had an elbow relation, a sort of (as the Irishman said) cousin-in-law, who had been in the army the two preceding campaigns, and now had a Lieutenant's commission in the standing army. He was continually urging my grandparents to give their consent for me to go with him. He told the old gentleman a power of fine stories, and made him promises, respecting his behaviour to me, which he never intended to perform, until he obtained my grandsire's consent, and at length, after much persuasion, my consent likewise.
One of the above-mentioned squads, wanting to procure a man, the Lieutenant told them that he thought they might persuade me to go for them, and they accord-ly attacked me, front, rear and flank. I thought, as I must go, I might as well endeavour to get as much for my skin as I could;—accordingly, I told them that I would go for them, and fixed upon a day when I would meet them and clinch the bargain. The day, which was a muster-day of the militia of the town, arrived;—I went to the parade, where all was liveliness, as it generally is upon such occasions; but poor I felt miserably; my execution-day was come. I kept wandering about till the afternoon, among the crowd, when I saw the Lieutenant, who went with me into a house where the men of the squad were, and there I put my name to enlisting indentures for the last time. And now I was hampered again. The men gave me what they agreed to, I forget the sum, perhaps enough to keep the blood circulating during the short space of time which I tarried at home after I had enlisted. They were now freed from any further trouble, at least for the present, and I had become the scape-goat for them.
