in our retreat. We "manned the lines," and lay quite
as unmolested during the whole night, as Samson did the
half of his in the city of Gaza, and upon about as foolish a business, though there was some difference in our getting away; we did not go off in so much triumph
quite as he did. We had a chain of sentinels quite up
the river, for four or five miles in length. At an interval of every half hour they passed the watchword to each other—"all is well." I heard the British on board their shipping answer, "We will alter your tune before to-morrow night;"—and they were as good as their word
for once.
It was quite a dark night, and at daybreak, the first thing that "saluted our eyes," was all the four ships at anchor, with springs upon their cables, and within musket shot of us. The Phœnix lying a little quartering, and her stern towards me, I could read her name as distinctly as though I had been directly under her stern. What is the meaning of all this, thought I, what is coming forward now?—They appeared to be very busy on shipboard, but we lay still and showed our good breeding by not interfering with them, as they were strangers, and we knew not but they were bashful withal. As soon as it was fairly light, we saw their boats coming out of a creek or cove, on the Long-Island side of the water, filled with British soldiers. When they came to the edge of the tide, they formed their boats in line. They continued to augment their forces from the Island until they appeared like a large clover field in full bloom. And now was coming on the famous Kipp's Bay affair, which has been criticised so much by the Historians of the Revolution. I was there, and will give a true statement of all that I saw during that day.
It was on a Sabbath morning, the day in which the British were always employed about their deviltry, if possible; because, they said, they had the prayers of the church on that day. We lay very quiet in our ditch, waiting their motions, till the sun was an hour or two high; we heard a cannonade at the city, but our attention was drawn toward our own guests. But they being a little dilatory in their operations, I stepped into an old warehouse which stood close by me, with the door open, inviting me in, and sat down upon a stool; the floor was
