Page:The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier.pdf/62

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
60
THE ADVENTURES OF

tol, in Pennsylvania, and the city of Burlington, in New-Jersey. We halted for the night at the latter place, where we procured some carrion beef, (for it was no better;) we cooked it and ate some, and carried the remainder away with us. We had always, in the army, to carry our cooking utensils in our hands by turns, and at this time, as we were not overburthened with provisions, our mess had put ours into our kettle, it not being very heavy, as it was made of plated iron. Before noon, I had the carriage of the kettle and its contents, and thinking that I had carried it more than my turn, and the troops just then making a momentary halt, I put the kettle down in the road, telling my messmates that if they would not take their turns at carrying it I would carry it no further. They were cross and refused to take it up; I was as contrary as they were, so we all went on and left it. One of our company in the next platoon, in the rear of us, took it up and brought it on. We marched about half a mile and made another halt, when I turned round and saw the man who had taken care of our kettle, with one or two others helping themselves to the contents of it. I wished the kettle in their throats, but I had nothing to say, it was in part my own fault; my messmates looked rather grum, but had as little to say for themselves as I had. After the men had quieted their appetites one of them very civilly came and gave me up the kettle, but the provisions were mostly absent without leave.

We halted for the night at a village called Haddington; we had nothing to eat, nor should we have had if our kettle had kept us constant company. We were put into the houses for quarters during the night. Myself and about a dozen more of the company were put into a chamber where there was a fireplace but no fire nor any thing to make one with; it looked as if there had been no fire there for seven years; we, however, soon procured wherewithal to make a fire with and were thus enabled to keep the outside comfortable, let the inside do as it would. There was no other furniture in the room excepting an old quill-wheel and an old chair-frame; we procured a thick board and placed the ends upon the wheel and chair and all sat down to regale ourselves with the warmth, when the cat happening to come under the