covery. Accordingly, whenever the sentinel moved from him, he softly withdrew; and at length got clear of his disa greeable neighbor. He then entered the water on the side of the isthmus next to the river, with the hope of being able to advance in it so far above the picket, as to land again undiscovered. The undertaking proved very hazardous, as well as very difficult. It was the time of low water. The rocks were numerous in his course; and the river between them was deep. A great quantity of sea-weed also encumbered his progress. He swam, and climbed, and waded, alternately, for the space of an hour; and having made in this manner a circuit, which, though small, he thought would be sufficient to avoid the guard, betook himself to the shore. Here, chilled with this long continued cold bathing, and excessively wearied by exertion, he began his course through the forest; directing himself, as well as he could, towards the path, which had been taken by General Wadsworth. After walking several miles through the same obstructions which had so much embarrassed his friend, he reached it, and without any further trouble rejoined the General.

After their mutual congratulations, the two friends, as they saw no persons appear, went down to the canoe; and finding in it a suit of oars, pushed it into the water. Burton informed General Wadsworth, that a party of the enemy was in pursuit of them, and that their barge would soon come round the point below; and therefore proposed, that instead of crossing the river directly, they should take an oblique course, by which they might avoid being discovered. Not long after the barge came in sight, moving moderately up the river, and distant from them about a mile. At this time the canoe was near half a mile from the eastern shore; but, being hidden by some bushes on another point, escaped the eyes of their pursuers. Just at the mo

ment the crew of the barge, having rested for a minute on their oars, tacked, and rowed to the eastern shore; when one of the men went up to a house standing on the bank. The two friends seeing this, plied their oars to the utmost; and when the barge put off again, had it in their power to reach the western shore without any possible obstruction.

'As they approached a landing place, they saw a number of people. To avoid an interview with these strangers, they changed their course, and landed on the north side of a creek, where they were entirely out of their reach, and safe from their suspicion.

'After they had made fast the canoe, they steered their course directly into the wilderness; leaving the barge advancing up the river, but appearing to have made no discovery. The prospect of a final escape was now very hopeful; but as there could be no safety in keeping the route along the shore, since they undoubtedly would be way-laid in many places, they determined to take a direct course through the forests, to avoid inhabitants, and prevent a pursuit. Accordingly, they steered towards the head of St. George's river. This they were enabled to do by the aid of a pocket compass, which Burton had fortunately retained in his possession. Their pockets supplied them with provisions, homely enough, indeed, but such as satisfied hunger, and such as success rendered delightful. Two showers fell upon them in the course of the day; and the heat of the sun was at times intense. Their passage, also, was often incommoded by the usual obstructions of an American forest; fallen trees, marshy grounds, and other inconveniences of the like nature. But, with all these difficulties, they traveled twenty-five miles by sunset.

'At the approach of night, they made a fire with the aid of a flint, which Major Burton had in his pocket, and some punk, a substance formed by a partial decomposition of the

heart of the maple tree; which easily catches, and long retains, even the slightest spark. But, as they had no axe, and as they did not commence this business sufficiently early, the wood of which their fire was made, being of a bad quality, burnt ill; and was extinguished long before the morning arrived. The night was cold, notwithstanding the heat of the preceding day. Both extremes were equally injurious to the travelers; and increased not a little the lameness and soreness of their limbs. General Wadsworth suffered severely. He had been a long time in confinement, and had of course been prevented from taking any vigorous exercise. He was also possessed of a constitution, much less firm than that of his companion; and was much less accustomed to the hardships of traveling in a forest. For these reasons they made a slow progress, during the morning of the second day. By degrees, however, the General began to recover strength, and before evening they advanced, though not without much difficulty, twelve or fifteen miles. The sufferings of the preceding night effectually warned them to begin the employment of collecting fuel in better season. They had, therefore, a comfortable fire. Still, the latter part of the night was very cold and distressing.

'On the third day General Wadsworth was so lame, and had suffered so much from this uncomfortable pilgrimage, that he was able to make very little progress. After many efforts, he proposed to stop in the wilderness, and wait for such relief, as his friend, proceeding onward to the nearest settlements, might be able to bring him. Major Burton cut the matter short by an absolute refusal to leave him behind, in circumstances so hazardous. At length they determined to refresh themselves with a little sleep, and then to re-commence their progress. This determination was a happy one; for they found their sleep, in the genial

warmth of the day, in a high degree restorative and invigorating. They were able to travel with more and more ease; and were not a little animated with a consciousness, that their pilgrimage was drawing towards a close. About six, P. M., they discovered from an eminence the ascent of a smoke, and other signs of human habitations; and soon, to their unspeakable joy, arrived at the place to which they had originally directed their course, the Upper Settlements on the river St. George.

'The inhabitants flocked about them with a joy scarcely inferior to theirs; and not only hailed them as friends long lost, but as men dropped from the clouds. Their surprise and their affection were equally intense; and their minds labored for modes, in which they might exhibit sufficient kindness to their guests.

Half of this force

'At this friendly place they took horses, and accompanied by all the inhabitants, who were able to bear arms, proceeded down the river, within three miles of the house, in which General Wadsworth had been taken prisoner. Here they crossed the river, and took up their lodging on the other side in a very comfortable inn. Their company had by this time increased to thirty men. General Wadsworth gave to his faithful friend, who was then distant only three miles from his own house; a stone fort, anciently erected as a defence against the savages. It was naturally suspected by both gentlemen, that concealed parties of the enemy would lie in wait for them; and, if possible, carry them back again to their prison. Nor was the suspicion unfounded. Such a party actually way-laid Major Burton upon his return to his family; and had he not been accompanied by this body of armed men, he would again have been taken. Finding themselves frustrated, the lurking party seized a trading vessel, lying in St. W

George's river, and returning to Bagaduce carried the first information to the fort concerning the prisoners.

'As to General Wadsworth, he was now in a settlement where he could not be attacked with any hope of success, unless by a strong detachment of the enemy. He therefore continued at this hospitable inn until the next day but one. Then, having recovered one of his horses, and renewed his strength and spirits, he set out for Falmouth, (Portland,) where he hoped to find Mrs. Wadsworth. During the first day's journey he was accompanied by a small guard. From this time he was safe from the lurking parties of the enemy; and proceeded to Falmouth as his own convenience permitted.

'Mrs. Wadsworth and Miss Fenno had, however, sailed for Boston before his arrival. On their passage they were overtaken by a violent storm, and barely escaped shipwreck. The vessel put into Portsmouth in distress; and neither of the ladies was acquainted with a single inhabitant. They took lodgings, therefore, at an inn. When they had in some measure recovered themselves from the anxiety and distress, produced by the perilous situation from which they had just escaped, they found themselves in a new scene of trouble. Mrs. Wadsworth had left all the specie in her possession with the General, when she visited him at Penobscot; and during her residence in the district of Maine, the Continental bills of credit had lost their currency. She was, therefore, without money, and without any known friends. After meditating for some time on various expedients to extricate herself and her friend from this embarrassment, not a little perplexing to a female mind, she recollected that she had seen at New Ha ven in the year 1770, Mr. Buckminster, then a tutor in Yale College; and now one of the ministers of Portsmouth.