THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT. 1 69 



had him in custody, and who brought him from West Point down the 

 river to Tappan, the place of his subsequent execution : ' Before we 

 reached the Clove, (a landing just below Verplank's Point,) Major An- 

 dre became very inquisitive to know my opinion as to the result of his 

 capture. When I could no longer evade his importunity, I remarked to 

 him as follows : " I had a much loved class-mate in Yale College by the 

 name of Hale, who entered the army in 1775. Immediately after the 

 battle of Long Island, Washington wanted information respecting the 

 strength of the army; he went over to Brooklyn, and was taken just as 

 he was passing the out-posts of the enemy, on his return. Said I, with 

 emphasis, do you remember the sequel of his story? Yes, said Andre, 

 he was hanged as a spy ; but you, surely, do not consider his case and mine 

 alike ? I replied — yes, precisely similar ; and similar will be your fate. 

 He endeavored to answer my remarks, but it was manifest he was more 

 troubled in spirit than I had ever seen him before.' " a 



What a contrast does this scene present to the passage of the traitor 

 himself, who, as soon as his villainy was ascertained, "mounted a horse 

 belonging to one of his aids that stood saddled at the door, and rode alone, 

 with all speed, to the bank of the river. He there entered a boat, and 

 directed the oarsmen to push out to the the middle of the stream. The 

 boat was rowed by six men, who, having no knowledge of Arnold's in- 

 tentions, promptly obeyed his orders. He quickened their activity by 

 saying, thas he was going down the river and on board the Vulture with 

 a flag, and that he was in great haste, as he expected Gen. Washington 

 at his house, and wished to return as expeditiously as possible to meet 

 him there. He also added another stimulating motive, by promising 

 them two gallons of rum, if they would exert themselves with all their 

 strength. As they approached King's Ferry, Arnold exposed to view a 

 white handkerchief, and ordered the men to row directly to the Vulture, 

 which was now in sight a little below the place it had occupied when Andre 

 left it. The signal held oat by Arnold, while the boat was passing Ver- 

 planck's Point, caused Col. Livingston to regard it as a flag-boat, and 

 prevented him from ordering it to be stopped and examined. The boat 

 reached the Vulture unobstructed in its passage ; and after Arnold had 

 gone on board and introduced himself to Capt. Sutherland, he called the 

 leader of the boatman into the cabin, and informed him that he and his 

 companions were prisoners. The boatmen, who had capacity and 

 spirit, said they were not prisoners ; that they came on board with a flag 

 of truce, and under the same sanction they would return. He then ap- 

 pealed to the captain, demanding justice and a proper respect for the 

 a American scenery by Bartlett and Willis. 



