company and in his confidence. After the retreat
of our army from Long Island, he informed me, he
was sent for to Head Quarters, and was solicited
to go over to Long Island to discover the disposition
of the enemy's camps, &c., expecting them to
attack New York, but that he was too unwell to
go, not having recovered from a recent illness;
that upon a second application he had consented
to go, and said I must go as far with him as I
could, with safety, and wait for his return.

"Accordingly, we left our Camp on Harlem
Heights, with the intention of crossing over the
first opportunity; but none offered until we arrived
at Norwalk, fifty miles from New York. In that
harbor there was an armed sloop and one or two
row galleys. Capt. Hale had a general order to
all armed vessels, to take him to any place he should
designate: he was set across the Sound, in the
sloop, at Huntington (Long Island) by Capt.
Pond, who commanded the vessel. Capt. Hale
had changed his uniform for a plain suit of citizen's
brown clothes, with a round broad-brimmed hat,
assuming the character of a Dutch schoolmaster,
leaving all his other clothes, commission, public
and private papers, with me, and also his silver
shoebuckles, saying they would not comport with
his character of schoolmaster, and retaining noth-

[[134]]

p133 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p134w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p135

v?