In the afternoon they proceeded southward with their muskets over their shoulders. After walking about a mile they met David Williams, who joined them. The party now consisted of eight, all of whom were devotedly attached to the American cause, and most, if not all, of whom had been in the American army. All but Sergeant Dean, however, were privates. After walking about fifteen miles, they found quarters for the night in the barn of John Andrews at Pleasantville. In the morning they followed the Sawmill River Valley to the house of Captain Jacob Bonier, where they obtained breakfast and a basket well provided for their dinner. They next stopped at Isaac Reed's and got some milk, and there Paulding borrowed a pack of playingmm

CAPTURE

ANDRE

cards. Then the party went to David's Hill, where they separated. Dean, Romer, Yerks, See, and Abraham Williams remained on the hill, and Paulding, Van Wart, and David Williams proceeded on the Tarrytown Road about a mile and concealed themselves in the bushes near a stream, and to the south of it, on the west side of the road (where the monument erected to their memory now stands), and commenced playing cards. The two parties were not far apart, and it was agreed before separating that if either party should need the aid of the other, a gun should be tired. During the first half hour several persons whom they knew passed, then Van Wart, who was standing guard while Paulding and Williams played cards, discovered, at about nine o'clock, on the rising ground directly opposite to where the Tarrytown Academy now stands, slowly riding toward them, a man on a black horse. He said to Williams and Paulding, k' Here's a horseman coming! We must stop him." At that, Paulding, who was the master spirit of the party, got up, stepped out into the road, leveled his musket at the rider, and asked him which way he was going.