of theirs ever after. So that good came to them out of
intended evil.
After we had received our bread, cheese and whiskey, we struck across the fields into the highway again. It was now nearly sunset, and as soon as we had got into the road, the youngest of the girls, and handsomest and chattiest, overtook us again, riding on horseback with a gallant. As soon as she came up with us, "O here is my little Captain again," said she; (it appeared it was our corporal that attracted her attention,) "I am glad to see you again." The young man, her sweetheart, did not seem to wish her to be quite so familiar with her "little Captain," and urged on his horse as fast as possible. But female policy is generally too subtle for the male's, and she exhibited a proof of it, for they had scarcely passed us when she slid from the horse upon her feet, into the road, with a shriek as though some frightful accident had happened to her. There was nothing handy to serve as a horseblock, so the "little Captain" must take her in his arms and set her upon her horse again, much, I suppose, to their mutual satisfaction,—but not so to her gallant, who, as I thought, looked rather grum.
We had now five miles to travel to reach our quarters, and I was sick indeed, but we got to our home some time in the evening, and I soon went to sleep;—in the morning I was better.
When I was inoculated with the small pox I took that delectable disease the itch, it was given us, we supposed, in the infection. We had no opportunity, or at least, we had nothing to cure ourselves with during the whole season; all who had the small pox at Peekskill had it. We often applied to our officers for assistance to clear ourselves from it, but all we could get, was, "Bear it as patiently as you can, when we get into winter-quarters you will have leisure and means to rid yourselves of it." I had it to such a degree that by the time I got into winter-quarters I could scarcely lift my hands to my head.—Some of our foraging party had acquaintances in the Artillery and by their means we procured sulphur enough to cure all that belonged to our detachment. Accordingly, we made preparations for a general attack upon it. The first night one half of the party commenced the action by mixing a sufficient quantity of brimstone and
