took possession of his person, and hoisting him upon their shoulders bore him off to the principal inn amidst the shouts of the multitude. There he was soon waited upon by numbers of the townspeople, whilst those who could not gain admission became momentarily more excited, and at last, instigated by Nailem, they insisted that Dodge should show himself at the window and make a speech. Dodge remonstrated: he had never made such an ass of himself in all his life—he couldn't do it—he had nothing to talk about; but the crowd were inexorable, they would hear their hero-for-the-day speak.
"Well then," Dodge cried at last, "here goes!" His appearance at the window was the signal for more cheering and more enthusiasm. He commenced his oration by ejaculating short sentences by no means complimentary to the assemblage he was addressing; he tossed his arms about wildly, and his language became quite incomprehensible even to those near him; but the auditors had made up their minds to be pleased, and his task for a time was an easy one. After many frantic appeals for silence had been made, Dodge found himself in that unenviable position of being surrounded by listeners without the most remote idea of what to say to them; but if he was nonplused for a moment, his self-possession soon came to his aid.—"As I remarked to you before, gentlemen, after giving you a full, true, and particular account of the whole matter which has brought me before you, which, by the bye, I dare say you didn't hear for the row you made, but that I could not help (great cheering)—as I remarked to you before, under the circumstances just named, it is the part of a good citizen to respect the laws of his country," and then in an aside to those nearest him, "particularly when such respect does not interfere with his personal liberty; but, gentlemen, whilst we respect the laws, we may hold whatever opinions we please about
