The chronicle here goes on to recount divers wonderful stories of the wars of the Roost, from which it would seem that this little warrior nest carried the terror of its arms into every sea from Spiting Devil Creek to St. Anthony's Nose ; th.at it even bearded the stout island of Manhattan, invading it at night, penetrating to its centre, and burning down the famous De Lancey house, the conflagrati(m of which makes such a blaze in revolutionary history. Nay, more ; in their extravagant daring, these cocks of the Roost meditated a nocturnal descent upon New York itself, to swoop upon the British commanders,

196 HISTORY OF THE

Howe and Clinton, by surprise, bear them off captive, and perhaps put a triumphant close to the war.

Tills doughty Dutchman (continues the sage Diedrich Knickerbocker) was not content with taking a share in all the magnanimous enterprises concocted at the Roost, but still continued his petty warfare along shore. x\ series of exploits at length raised his confidence in his prowess to such a height, that he began to think himself and his goose-gun a match for anything. Unluckily, in the course of one of his prowlings, he descried a British transport aground, not far from shore, with her stern swung toward the land, within point blank shot. The temptation was too great to be resisted ; bang ! as usual, went the great goose- gun, shivering the cabin windows, and driving all hands forward. Bang I bang ! the shots were repeated The reports brought several sharpshooters of the neighborhood to the spot : before the transport could bring a gun to bear, or land a boat, to take revenge, she was soundly peppered, and the coast evacuated. She was the last of Jacob's triumphs. He fared like some heroic spider that has unwittingly ensnared a hornet, to his immortal glory perhaps, but to the utter ruin of his web.