182 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF 



run ; and that, if I had an equal chauce, I feared no Eng* 

 lishman who had landed on our shore. 



Mary made me a new knapsack, into which she stowed 

 my clothes ; and, as we had secured a little property, and 

 had saved some money, she begged me to take some of it 

 with me ; " For," said she, " if you should get sick, you 

 may need it ; and we are all at home, where we can do 

 better without it than you can." So I took fifty dollars, 

 wliich left her but little. 



In the morning I bade her and the children fare\^ell, 

 took the road for Cumberland, and arrived there the second 

 day. Captain Blair was the commander of the company ; 

 and a finer little fellow never lived than he was. He pa- 

 raded in the evening, and called the roll ; before which, I 

 went to him, and reported myself in readiness ; stating to 

 him the promise made to me by Colonel Greenwell, that I 

 was to be the second sergeant. 



The captain answered me pleasantly, that the colonel 

 had nothing to do with the appointment of his sergeants, 

 as that was his own business. Said he, "Browning, you 

 know I command a company of volunteers, and my officers 

 are all in their places. If I should turn one of them out 

 to make room for you, the men would rebel against me ; 

 so I cannot do it." 



" Then," said I, " I'll be if I go one step." 



The captain turned from me, saying, "As you please, I 

 suppose, about that." 



I walked ofi"; and, as I had been brought up in the old 

 Federal school, which taught that the British, then fight- 

 ing against the great Napoleon, who was, it was ru- 

 mored, preparing to make an attack on America, and to 

 treat us as he had treated Italy, were our only safeguard 

 against the encroachments of France, I had an invitation 

 to spend that night at the house of a gentleman who was 

 a menc'oer of that party. 



