their own showing her captors had nothing of human mercy left in their hearts. The gratification of all unbridled passions was the acknowledged object of their lives; and they appeared to have been collected together from all parts of the state, Iured to this comparatively remote quarter, by the prospect of increased booty under the leadership of Arrison.

"You should have seen how Steve Ball prayed and begged for his life," said one, with a mocking laugh, alluding to one of his exploits, "when we hung him at Bergen Point. He wouldn't believe we were in earnest for a good while; for he had brought provisions to sell under a promise of a safe return, but when the time was up, and he saw the tree and cord, he bellowed like a bull. If we'd only give him an hour, he cried, or a half, or a quarter. Ha! ha! 'twas better than a play. But we told him we'd no time to lose, and that if he wanted a parson, one of us was ready to serve him in that line. When we turned him off, I put a pistol into his hand, telling him it should never be said we sent him into the other world without arms."

There was a roar of general laughter, at the end of which Arrison said, "why didn't you tell him, that when he met the devil, he might cry to Old Nick to stand and deliver."

"Be Jabers," cried another, whose brogue betrayed his birth-place, "you'd have seen the rare sport, if you'd been with me, and some other of the boys, when we picked Major Dennis' feathers for him, down here jist, by Manasquan river. The Major wasn't at home, the more's the pity, for we'd have strung him up in no time, and done the job nately too; but the old woman was, and though one cried out to let the rebel go, the rest of us determined that she should hang, bad cess to her. And we took her own dirty old bed cord, and tied her up by the neck to a cedar; och! you should have seen dancing there, as merry as at a fair!”

"But I've heard she got off after all," interposed the lieutenant. "You were so busy filling your pockets you -forgot her; the rope slipped, and she made off to the swamp with only a fright."

"It's the true word you say," answered the narrator, not a whit abashed. "But now we'll have the fun of hanging her agin, which couldn't have been if she hadn't got off."

Another burst of laughter followed this. Then one of the company said,

"What's become of Jack Stetson? as jolly a blade as ever lived. I thought, captain, I'd meet him here, sure. He went over to Maurice river with you, didn't he?"

"Yes," answered Arrison, "but he was in that affair with Riggins. If I'd been there it would have ended differently."

"With Riggins? I haven't heard of it."

"Why, Jack and a lot of others, without my knowledge, made up their minds to attack a shallop belonging to a whig named Riggins. Now I'd have let Riggins alone, if he had let me alone in turn, for he's as big as an ox and as strong. But Jack thought he'd frighten the whigs by making a bold dash, so he attempts to board the shallop, as she was going down the river. Gad! though all of Riggins' men jumped overboard, or skulked into the cabin, except one man, the old pine-knot stood to it; fired twice, and then clubbing his gun, knocked our lads in the head as fast as they attempted to board. He settled poor Jack with one blow. They say too that he thinks more of having smashed his gun than of cracking so many skulls. Some of these days I'd like to draw a sight on him.”

"Well, if Jack is gone," was the answer, "and here's to him, I'm glad to say that Parson Caldwell, the canting scoundrel, went to the devil before him." And he proceeded, amid shouts of approving laughter, to recapitulate a tragedy, with which the whole country was ringing, of

which the Rev. James Caldwell, one of the best patriots, purest clergymen, and most upright men of his day, was the victim.

"He was always preachin' agin the King, and agin us in particular," said another. "He act❜lly used his meetin' nouse for a hospital. He oughter ha' been shot when his wife was."

"Gad," said Arrison, his eye gleaming with tiger-like ferocity, "I'd liked to have been the fellow that finished her. She was as bad as him, if not worse. She was praying, wasn't she?" he added, laughing sardonically. "Praying with her young whelp, Smith, when she was shot by one of your fellows through a window."

"Yes," replied the outlaw appealed to, "and arterwards we threw her body into the road, where it lay all day in the sun, before we'd allow 'em to take it away. If a few more were sarved in the same fashion, it would be better for all of us, as well as for the King."

"They ought to have their throats cut, the whole spawn of them, women and children too," said another savagely, striking the table with his clenched fist. "There'll never be peace till there is.'

"Nor booty for us," cried another, with a laugh.

With a shudder of horror, Kate reflected that the men who applauded these atrocities, had her now in their power; and that to their natural ferocity the stimulus of intoxication was rapidly being added. Involuntarily she began to grope about the room, hoping to find a knife, or other weapon of defence.

"But you haven't told us," said the lieutenant, after awhile, addressing Arrison, "what you're going to do, to make up the plunder we were to get by taking this gal down the river. Will you put her to ransom?" "Better than that," was the answer.

her."

"I intend to marry

'Marry her? But where's the parson ?" "I'm parson enough."

"Whew! that will be playing, high, low, Jack and the game. But you ought to double the pay," he continued, "if we help you to such an heiress."

"And such a devilish fine bit of woman flesh," put in another. "What an ankle she has! If the captain hadn't began the affair, I'd say we ought to toss up for her; and maybe we ought as it is."

"Hold your tongue," said Arrison, with a frown that knit his forbidding brows into dark, red knots. "She's mine, and there's an end of it. But I'll come down handsomely, lads" he added, seeing signs of discontent. "I was a fool ever to think of carrying her off for Aylesford. In my country, many's the rich heiress that's married in this way by gentlemen; and gad! as I too was born a gentleman, I mean to do the same."

"The captain's a broth of a boy," interrupted the Milesian. "I'll help to do the thing nately, and play praist if he says it."

"You'll find her a restive filly, though," laughed the lieutenant, brutally, "if she is often like she was in the boat." "I know a way to tame her," was Arrison's reply. "I'm used to breaking in her sex; and have bitted and spurred worse fillies than she is. She'll be glad enough to marry And he burst into a roar

me, before I've done with her."

of drunken derision, in which his hearers joined.

The reader can but faintly imagine the feelings of our heroine as she listened to this conversation. More than once she started to her feet in wild alarm, as the uproar occasionally deepened, thinking for the moment, that the imbruted wretch was about to force his way into her chamber.

Oh, God!" she cried, clasping her hands and raising her eyes above, "is there no help ?"

CHAPTER XXXII.

THE ATTACK.

"It was a dread, yet spirit-stirring sight!

The billows foamed beneath a thousand oars."-Scott. "Though few the numbers-there's the strife,

That neither spares, nor speaks for life."-Byron.

THE British advanced in the most gallant manner to the attack of Major Gordon's position, each boat keeping its place as carefully in the line as soldiers on parade. In a few minutes the fleet turned the point of the river, and came dashing up to the landing, the water rolling under the bows and the oars keeping steady time. The sunshine, which now began to stream from the west, glanced from the muskets; was reflected from the bright buttons of the soldiers; and flashed back from the millions of drops showered from the ashen blades, till the river seemed alive with diamonds, sparkling as they fell.

Major Gordon, by this time, had arranged his men behind the half-finished breastwork, which, being within a short distance of the river, was intended to command the landing.

"Look to your priming carefully," were his last words. "Let nobody fire till I give the word; then every other man. When I give command again, let those who have reserved, fire. Everything depends on steadiness. Remember Bunker Hill."

He had scarcely finished passing along the line, repeating these orders, when the boats dashed up to the landing, their crews giving three cheers; and immediately the British, numbering several hundred, began to marshal themselves on