Page:The Adventures Of A Revolutionary Soldier.pdf/73

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A REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER.
71


went out. In the yard and about it was a plenty of geese, turkeys, ducks, and barn-door fowls; I obtained a piece of an ear of Indian corn, and seating myself on a pile of boards began throwing the corn to the fowls which soon drew a fine battalion of them about me, I might have taken as many as I pleased, but I took up one only, wrung off its head, dressed and washed it in the stream, seasoned it with some of my salt, and stalked into the first house that fell in my way, invited myself into the kitchen, took down the gridiron and put my fowl to cooking upon the coals. The women of the house were all the time going and coming to and from the room; they looked at me but said nothing.—"They asked me no questions and I told them no lies." When my game was sufficiently broiled, I took it by the hind leg and made my exit from the house with as little ceremony as I had made my entrance. When I got into the street I devoured it after a very short grace and felt as refreshed as the old Indian did when he had eaten his crow roasted in the ashes with the feathers and entrails.

We marched from hence and crossed the Delaware again between Burlington and Bristol. Here we procured a day's ration of southern salt pork (three-fourths of a pound) and a pound of sea bread. We marched a little distance and stopped "to refresh ourselves;" we kindled some fires in the road, and some broiled their meat; as for myself I ate mine raw. We quickly started on and marched till evening, when we went into a wood for the night. We did not pitch our tents; and about midnight it began to rain very hard which soon put out all our fires, and we had to lie "and weather it out." The troops marched again before day; I had sadly sprained my ankle the day before, and it was much swelled. My lieutenant told me to stay where I was till day and then come on. Just as I was about to start off, our Brigadier-General and suite passed by and seeing me there alone, stopped his horse and asked me what I did there, I told him that Lieut. S—— ordered me to remain there till daylight. Says he, Lieut. S—— deserves to have his throat cut, and then went on. I had finished my pork and bread for supper, consequently had nothing for this day. I hobbled on as well as I could; the rain and travelling of the troops and baggage had converted