He saw here and there at villages and hamlets, and even single residences on the river shore, marauding parties of British at work, their motions being marked by flames and depredation, but he could not move rapidly enough to intercept them. When General Vaughan and his force landed from their vessels, a little body of about a hundred and fifty militia opposed them at Kingston, but these valiant defenders were soon overcome and put to flight. The invaders then marched to the village, whence the people and officials had for the most part fled at their approach, and set fire to it at a number of points, having sacked it. A great quantity of stores collected there and nearly all of the princii;)al dwellings and public buildings were consumed. An entertaining story is told by Lossing of the fright of some Dutchmen who were working in the

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flats near Rondout and did not know of the ap- ]iroach of the British till one of Vaughan's two attacking columns was actually upon them. They fled for their lives across the shallow water and into the fields on the other side, whence the labourers had very recently made their esca|)e, leaving their farming im]:)lements on the ground. One of the Dutchmen, in running ]:)lindl\' forward, stepped u])on the teeth of a rake, whereupon, according to the time-honoured custom of rakes when their teeth are stepped on. the handle sprang up and rapped him on the head. That was too much for overwrought ner\'es. Thinking that the enemy had overtaken him, the fugitive fell upon his knees, shouting, " I gifs up -- I gifs up! Hurrah for King Shorge !' ' According to an estimate made by Sharpe, there stood in Kingston, after the conflagration, the stone walls of above forty of the strongly built Dutch houses, though the woodwork was entirely consumed.