The remainder of that night and the next day were spent in bed by Barclugh. He was suffering severely from the fall off of his horse, the night before his arrival.
Major Andre had meals brought to his own room, and then quietly carried the meals to Barclugh himself.
After two days and two nights of rest and nursing and a supply of clean linen, Barclugh was sufficiently recovered to be escorted, in the dead of the night,—when nothing was astir in the old Dutch town but the solitary sentinel—to the Beekman mansion, the present location of 52nd Street and Broadway. Here were the quarters of General Clinton.
Major Andre had his permanent quarters at No. 1 Broadway, and when he and Barclugh walked out of the rear of these quarters a chaise and postillion were ready for the financier and his escort to be driven in haste to General Clinton.
Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander of the British forces in North America, spent much of his time at his country house, the former mansion of Dr. Beekman, and on the night in question he was anxiously waiting to greet Roderick Barclugh.
His career had been unfruitful of results in America thus far, as he had failed to aid Burgoyne, and, after evacuating Philadelphia, and retreating by land to New York, had suffered disaster at Monmouth; he had failed in his attack on Fort Moultrie, and now his whole career was centered upon the capture of West Point by intrigue.
Seated in one of the upper chambers of the Beekman house were Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander, Lord Carlisle and William Eden, M. P., Commissioners of the British government to America.
Lord Carlisle was the life-long friend of George Selwyn,—the wag of English society and court circles in London at this time. William Eden, a mere figure-head and courtier, was the intimate friend and political supporter of both Carlisle and Selwyn. Charles Fox was the brains and political force for this entire coterie, so that the presence of Carlisle in America on his mission is obvious, since Fox was irretrievably in debt to Carlisle and Selwyn. Furthermore, Fox had been the associate of Carlisle at Eton and they had grown up to be inseparable cronies; both were involved in all the noted gambling escapades at Brooks’ and Almack’s for the previous ten years.
Besides the Commander and the two Commissioners, the room contained a large round table and a sideboard well supplied with Madeira and claret. This chamber was used for councils of war by General Clinton. A map of the thirteen Colonies and the seaboard was lying carelessly on the table. Carlisle and Clinton were discussing the losses at the gaming table the night before and Eden was snuggling up to a newly-opened bottle of Madeira, while seated in a large arm-chair, enjoying a pipe of tobacco.
Barclugh entered the room, following Major Andre, and was received by the three very, very cordially, but with much formality, as they had met on serious business.