N IN 1676.

(_From Hansford._)

Scarcely had Berkeley and his adherents departed on their flight from
Jamestown, when some of the disaffected citizens of the town, seeing
the lights in the palace so suddenly extinguished, shrewdly suspected
their design. Without staying to ascertain the truth of their
suspicions, they hastened with the intelligence to General Bacon, and
threw open the gates to the insurgents. Highly elated with the easy
victory they had gained over the loyalists, the triumphant patriots
forgetting their fatigue and hunger, marched into the city, amid the
loud acclamations of the fickle populace. But to the surprise of all
there was still a gloom resting upon Bacon and his officers. That
cautious and far-seeing man saw at a glance, that although he had
gained an immense advantage over the royalists, in the capture of the
metropolis, it was impossible to retain it in possession long. As soon
as his army was dispersed, or engaged in another quarter of the
colony, it would be easy for Berkeley, with the navy under his
command, to return to the place, and erect once more the fallen
standard of loyalty.

While then, the soldiery were exulting rapturously over their triumph,
Bacon, surrounded by his officers, was gravely considering the best
policy to pursue.

"My little army is too small," he said, "to leave a garrison here, and
so long as they remain thus organized peace will be banished from the
colony; and yet I cannot leave the town to become again the harbour of
these treacherous loyalists."

"I can suggest no policy that is fit to pursue, in such an emergency,"
said Hansford, "except to retain possession of the town, at least
until the Governor is fairly in Accomac again."

"That, at best," said Bacon, "will only be a dilatory proceeding, for
sooner or later, whenever the army is disbanded, the stubborn old
governor will return and force us to continue the war. And besides I
doubt whether we could maintain the place with Brent besieging us in
front, and the whole naval force of Virginia, under the command of
such expert seamen as Gardiner and Larimore, attacking us from the
river. No, no, the only way to untie the Gordian knot is to cut it,
and the only way to extricate ourselves from this difficulty is to
burn the town."

This policy, extreme as it was, in the necessities of their condition
was received with a murmur of assent. Lawrence and Drummond, devoted
patriots, and two of the wealthies