again, he then said we knew the people very well, that we might expect the worst of treatment from them. Immediately after this Mr. Barnes was called out; he returned a, little after and told us the Doctor of the Town had come to tell him he was come to sup with him—(now this fellow had not, been within Mr. Barnes's doors for two years before, and came now for no other business than to see and betray us;) Barnes told him he had company and could not have the pleasure of attending him that night; upon this the fellow stared about the house, and asked one of Mr. Barnes's children who her father had got with him? the child innocently answered that she had asked her pappa, but he told her, that it was not her business; he then went, I suppose, to tell the rest of his crew. When we found we were in that situation, we resolved to lie down for two or three hours, and set off at twelve o'clock at night; so we got some supper on the table, and were just beginning to eat, when Barnes (who had been making inquiry of his servants) found they intended to attack us, and then he told us plainly he was very uneasy for us, that we could be no longer in safety in that Town; upon which we resolved to set off immediately, and asked Mr. Barnes if there was no road round the Town, so that we might not be seen; he took us out of his house by the stables, and directed us a bye road which was to lead us a quarter of a mile from the Town; it snowed and blew as much as ever I see it in my life; however, we walked pretty fast, fearing we should be pursued; at first we felt much fatigued, having not been more than twenty minutes at Mr. Barnes's to refresh ourselves, and the roads (if possible) were worse than when we came; but in a little time after it wore off, and we got, without being perceived, as far as the hills that command the Causeway at Sudbury, and went into a little wood where we eat a bit of bread that we took from Mr. Barnes's, and eat a little snow to wash it down. After that we proceeded about one hundred yards, when a man came out of a house and said those words to Captain Brown, "What do you think will become of you now?" which startled us a good deal, thinking that we were betrayed. We resolved to push on at all hazards, but expected to be attacked on the Causeway; however we met nobody there, so began to think it was resolved to stop us in Sudbury, which Town we entered when we passed the Causeway. About a quarter of a mile in the Town we met three or four horsemen, from whom we expected a few shot; when we came nigh they opened to the right and left and quite crossed the Road, however they let us pass through them without taking any notice, their opening being only chance; but our apprehensions made us interpret every thing against us. At last we arrived at our friend Jones's again, very much fatigued, after walking thirty-two miles between two o'clock and half-after ten at night, through a road that every step we sunk up to the ankles, and it blowing and drifting snow all the way. Jones said he was glad to see us back, as he was sure we should meet with ill usage in that part of the country, as they had been watching for us some time; but said he found we were so deaf to his hints that he did not like to say any thing for fear we should have taken it ill. We drank a bottle of mulled Madeira wine, which refreshed us very much, and went to bed and slept as sound as men could do that were very much fatigued. The next morning, after breakfast, we set off for Boston. Jones shewed us a Road that took us a quarter of a mile below Watertown Bridge, as we did not choose to go through that Town. We arrived at Boston about twelve o'clock, and met General Gage and General Haldimand, with their Aid-de-Camps, walking out on the Neck, they did not know us until we discovered ourselves; we besides met several officers of our acquaintance, who did not know us.

A few days after our return Mr. Barnes came to Town from Marlborough, and told us, immediately on our quitting the Town, the Committee of Correspondence came to his house and demanded us; he told them we were gone; they then searched his house from top to bottom, looked under the beds, and in their cellars, and when they found we were gone, they told him if they had caught us in his house they would have pulled it about his ears. They then sent horsemen after us every road; but as we had the start of them, and the weather being so very bad, they either did not overtake us, missed us. Mr. Barnes told them we were not officers, but relations of his wife's, from Penobscot, and were going to Lancaster; that, perhaps, might have deceived them

Salem, February 28, 1775.

Last Sabbath, the 26th instant, the peace of the Town was disturbed by the landing of a Regiment of the King's Troops, the particulars relative to which are as follows:

A Transport arrived at Marblehead, apparently manned as usual. Between two and three o'clock (as soon as the people had gone to meeting) the decks were covered with Soldiers, who having loaded, and fixed their bayonets, landed with great despatch, and instantly marched off. Some of the inhabitants suspecting they were bound to Salem, to seize some materials there preparing for an Artillery, despatched several messengers to inform us of it. These materials were on the. North side of the North River, and to come at them it was necessary to cross a Bridge, one part of which was made to draw up to let vessels pass. The inhabitants kept a look out for the appearance of the Troops. The van guard arrived, and took their route down Town as far as the Long Wharf, perhaps to decoy the inhabitants thither, away from the place, to which the main body was destined. The main body arrived soon after, and halted a few minutes by the Townhouse. It is said inquiry was immediately made, by some of the officers for a half-brother of Colonel Browne, the Mandamus Counsellor. Be this as it may, he was soon whispering in the Colonel's ear, in the front of the Regiment, and when he parted from the Colonel the Regiment marched with a quick pace, towards the North Bridge; just before their entering upon which the Bridge was pulled up. The Regiment however pushed on till they came to the Bridge, not observing (as it seemed) that it was drawn up. The Colonel expressed some surprise; and turning about, ordered an officer to face his Company to a body of men standing on a wharf on the other side the drawbridge, and to fire. One of our townsmen (who had kept alongside the Colonel from the time he marched from his own house) told him he had better not fire; that he had no right to fire without further orders, and if you do fire (said he) you will be all dead men. The Company neither faced nor fired. The Colonel retired to the centre of his Regiment, assembled his officers, and held a consultation; which being ended he advanced a little, and declared he would maintain his ground, and go over the Bridge if it was a month first. The same townsman replied, he might stay there as long as he pleased, no one cared for that. The half-brother, before mentioned, (it is said) made towards the Bridge, but seeing the drawbridge up said "it is all over with us."

He has since disappeared, meanwhile two large gondolas that lay aground (for it was low water) were scuttled, lest they should cross the channel in them, But whilst one gentleman with his assistants was scuttling his own gondola, a party of about twenty Soldiers jumped into it, and with their bayonets charged against our unarmed townsmen, (some of whom they pricked) compelled them to quit it; but before this a sufficient hole was made in the bottom. This attack of the Soldiers, and some other occurrences occasioned a little bickering, but by the interposition of some of the inhabitants, the disputes subsided. At length some gentleman asked the Colonel what was his design in making this movement, and why he would cross the Bridge? He said, I have orders to cross it, and he would cross it if he lost his life with the lives of all his men; and asked, why the King's highway was obstructed? He was told it was not the King's Road, but the property of the inhabitants, who had a right to do what they pleased with it. Finally the Colonel said he must go over, and if the Bridge was let down so as he might pass, he pledged his honour he would march not above thirty rods beyond it, and then immediately return.

The Regiment had now been at the Bridge about an hour and an half; and every thing being secured, the inhabitants directed the Bridge might be let down. The Regiment immediately passed over, marched a few rods, returned, and with great expedition went back to Marblehead, where they went on board the Transport without delay.