bench to partake of the bounty, the board bending by the weight upon it, both ends slipped off at once and brought
us all slap to the floor; upon taking up the board to
replace it again we found the poor cat, pressed as flat as a pancake, with her eyes started out two inches from her head. We did not eat her although my appetite was sharp enough to have eaten almost any thing that could
be eaten.
After we had got regulated again, we began to contrive how we were to behave in our present circumstances, as it regarded belly-timber;—at length, after several plans had been devised, many "resolves proposed and all refused a passage," it was finally determined that two or three of the most expert at the business should sally forth and endeavour to procure something by foraging. Accordingly two of the club went out and shortly after returned with a Hissian, a cant word with the soldiers, for a goose. The next difficulty was, how to pluck it; we were in a chamber and had nothing to contain the feathers. However, we concluded at last to pick her over the fire and let that take care of the feathers. We dressed her and then divided her amongst us; if I remember rightly, I got one wing. Each one broiled his share and ate it, as usual, without bread or salt. After this sumptuous repast, I lay down and slept as well as a gnawing stomach would permit. In the morning we found a sad witness of our overnight's adventure to testify against us; the whole funnel of the chimney was stuck full of feathers from top to bottom, and it being a very calm night the street opposite the house was as full of them as the chimney. We would have set the chimney on fire, but having nothing to do it with, we concluded to let chimney and street unite in their testimony against us if they pleased; but as we marched off early in the morning we heard no more about the goose.
There had been an expedition of the enemy's forces against a fort of ours at a place called Redbank, near this town. Two thousand Germans under the command of Colonel-Commandant Donop, who had begged the favour of the British Commander-in-chief of having the privilege of cutting the throats of about five hundred brave Rhode-Island Yankees, under the command of Colonel Green (uncle to the General of that name) who
