“Wal, I wish my eye was as quick and my hand as steady as ‘twas once, and I had him within range of my rifle; I’d put an eend to his trampin’;” at the same time striking his cane violently on the floor. Captain Rhines was here t’other day, settin’ right where you set, and sayin’ we never should got our liberty, if’t hadn’t been for them are French; that one good turn deserved another; and all that. I ups and tells him, I does, says I, the French waited till they see how the cat was goin’ to jump, and that we were like to wear the old bull-dog out, and then comes in to bet on the winnin’ horse. I telled him the French were well enough, but it wasn’t so much for any love to us they come; England had took Canada, and robbed ‘em of their colonies, and now they wanted to pay her in her own coin, and help us get clear on ‘em; they’ll eny time send over troops to help the Irish when they undertake to rise.”
“I think you are right in that, Mr. Griffin.”
“If we should go into war with England now, it would make an eend of our leetle commerce; but if we go on as we’ve begun, in a few years we shall be able to fight our own battles, no thanks to eny on ‘em.”
“I’m perfectly willing to abide by the judgment of General Washington, Hamilton, and those who have carried us thus far. I believe Washington was raised up and divinely appointed to carry us through the revolutionary war, as evidently as Moses was to lead the children of Israel to the promised land.”
“That’s the talk, parson. I don’t know enything ‘bout Moses, and them old characters, but I know ‘bout Gineral Washington, cause I fought under him, when he was kernel; yes, I go in for the old horse that never balked at the steepest hill, but allus pulled, whether the load went, or whether other horses pulled or not.”
“Yes, my old friend, the heart of the country rests safely on Washington.”
“Then, parson, he’s a prayin’ man. Isaac Murch told me that; he said, that winter at Valley Forge, when the soldiers were barefoot, and suffered so much, there was an hour at noon when he couldn’t be seen; if an express came, he wouldn’t be disturbed; it was allers thought and said among the men, that he was at prayer. I allers thought them are the sort of men to foller.”
“Certainly; because in following them we may hope for the aid of Him by whom they are guided.”
“There’s a great many in this place, parson, if you allow that there’s any good thing in an Englishman, cry out, ‘Tory’!”