With great decision he wheeled about, threw himself flat upon the horses shoulders, and spur-ring him to his utmost speed, rode safely through a volley of musketry and rifle-balls and escaped. Simcoe now mounted rapidly up the steeps toward Colonel Gist, but was mortified to find that his quarry had escaped, and that all he had gained was the possession of an empty camp. The truth is, however, that the American colonel was completely surprized,

72 THE MCDONALD PAPERS and when the first alarm was given by the firing of Emmerich's detachment, Gist's men were panic struck and preparing for surrender. Some of them in despair went so far as to throw away their rifles, but Odell addressed them, gave them assur-ances that if they would resume their arms and follow him, he would take them safely off, and with great presence of mind proceeded to perform his promise. He led them through thickets to the mot inaccessible parts of the Sawmill river which he forded at their head where the water was breast high, and gaining the difficult ridge, at the time covered with wood, which runs along the Hudson, conducted them, almost without loss, to General Scott's encampment. In the attack upon the refugee settlement situate in Mor-risania, on the east side of Mill-brook, made by Lieutenant Colonel Hull, supported by General Parsons on the morning of the 22nd January 1781, Cornelius Oakley, accompanied by the principal guides, commanded a select body of about twenty-five volunteer horsemen. When Hull's party ap-proached the brook, it was found swollen to such a height by a heavy rain of the day before, and so filled with broken ice, that the passage was extremely difficult, and could only be effected by mounting infantry behind cavalry. This re-quired time, and the noise unavoidable occasioned by ford-ing the stream, was heard by the enemy who immediately fired an alarm.