" All these were eyed with bitter hostility by the Dutch yeomanry along shore, who were indignant at seeing their great Mediterranean ploughed by hostile prows ; and would occasionally throw up a mud breast work on a point or promontory, mount an old iron field-piece, and fire away at the enemy, though the greatest harm was apt to happen to themselves, from the bursting of their ordnance ; nay, there was scarce a Dutchman along the river, that would hesitate to fire with his long duck gun at any British cruiser that came within his reach, as he had been accustomed to fire at water fowl.

I have been thus particular in my account of the times and neighborhood, that the reader might ihe more readily comprehend the surrounding dangers m this, the heroic age of the Roost.

It was commanded at the time, as 1 have already observed, by the stout Jacob van Tassel. As I wish to be extremely accurate in this part of my chronicle, I beg that this Jacob van Tassel, of the Roost, may not be confounded with another Jacob van Tassel, commonly known in border story by the name of "clump-fooled Jack." a noted tory, and one of the refugee band of Spiting Devil. On the contrary, he of the Roost was a patriot of the first water, and, if we may take his own word for granted, a thorn in the side of the enemy. As the Roost, from its lonely situation on the water's edge, might be liable to i^ttack, he took measures for defence. On a row of hooks above his fire-place reposed his great piece of ordnance, ready charged and primed for action. This was a duck, or rather goose-gun, of unparallelled longitude, with which it was said he could kill a wild goose, though half way across the Tappan Sea. a Indeed, there are as many wonders told of this renowned gun as of the enchanted weapons of the heroes of classic story.