DANE UR Y IN DANGER. \ 3 5 



try when the rich and easily explored river 

 valley lay open before them, a hundred miles 

 to the north and a hundred miles to the south. 

 The Puritans were like the Irishman who 

 always wants somebody to tread on the tail of 

 his coat, and like Mark Tapley who was 

 happy only when he was miserable. For mu- 

 tual protection this devoted band lived in 

 block-houses together, and from them they 

 went out four or five miles every day to cul- 

 tivate the best soil they could find. After 

 they had escaped all danger from the Indians, 

 there came the French war to disturb but not 

 to injure them. Their real suffering came at 

 last in the war of the Revolution, when nearly 

 the whole town was destroyed and the earn- 

 ings of a century were annihilated by the 

 flames in a single day. 



In April, 1777, Gov. Tryon came from New 

 York with 2,000 men, and landing from their 

 boats at Fairfield, they marched to Danbury 

 for the purpose of destroying a considerable 

 quantity of Continental stores^ that had there 

 been collected. These were "guarded by a 

 few Continental troops without arms." So 

 the American story runs, and it is added that 

 on the approach of the British, they ** with- 



