for "it was a fearful odds." The corporal with his guard of four men,
conducted the prisoners to the spring, while the sergeant with the other four,
having grounded their arms near the road, brought up the rear. The prisoners,
wearied with their long walk, were permitted to rest themselves on the earth.
Poor Mrs. Jones, as usual, took her seat opposite to her husband,
and her little boy, overcome with fatigue, fell asleep in her lap.
Two of the corporal's men were ordered to keep guard,
and the other two to give the prisoners drink out of their canteens.
These last approached the spring where our heroes lay concealed,
and resting their muskets against a pine tree, dipped up water:
and having drank themselves, turned away, with replenished canteens,
to give the prisoners also. "Now! Newton, is our time!" said Jasper.
Then bursting, like two lions, from their concealment, they snatched up
the two muskets that were rested against the pine, and in an instant
shot down the two soldiers that kept guard. And now the question was,
who should first get the two loaded muskets that had just fallen
from the hands of the slain. For by this time the sergeant and corporal,
a couple of brave Englishmen, recovering from their momentary panic,
had sprung and seized upon the muskets; but before they could use them,
the strong swift-handed Americans, with clubbed guns,
levelled each at the head of his brave antagonist, the final blow.
The tender bones of the skull gave way beneath the furious strokes,
and with wide scattered blood and brains down they sunk,
pale and quivering to the earth without a groan. Then snatching up the guns
which had thus, a second time, fallen from the hands of the slain,
they flew between the surviving enemy, and ordered them to surrender,
which they instantly did.

Having called the prisoners to them, they quickly with
the point of their bayonets, broke off their handcuffs,