f the "Eagle" with his
glass. Suddenly he exclaimed, "There he is!" The top of the
"Turtle" had just emerged, in a little bay a short distance
to the left of Howe's flag-ship.

It was seen as quickly by the sentinels on the "Eagle," who
fired at the strange aquatic monster with such good aim that
Abijah popped under the water as hastily as he had emerged
from it. On board the "Eagle" confusion evidently prevailed.
This strange contrivance had apparently filled the mariners
with alarm. There were signs of a hasty effort to get under
weigh, and wings were added to this haste when a violent
explosion took place in the immediate vicinity of the fleet,
hurling up great volumes of water into the air. The machine
had been set to run an hour, and had duly gone off at its
proper time, but, for some reason yet to be explained, not
under the "Eagle." The whole fleet was not long in getting
up its anchors, setting sail, and scurrying down the bay to
a safer abiding-place below. And here they lay until the day
of the battle of Long Island, not venturing again within
reach of that naval nondescript.

As for the "Turtle," boats at once set out to Abijah's
relief and he was taken off in the vicinity of Governor's
Island. On landing and being questioned, he gave, in his own
odd way, the reasons of his failure.

"Just as I said, gen'ral," he remarked "it all failed for
the want of that cud of tobacco. You see, I am narvous
without tobacco. I got under the 'Eagle's' bottom, but
somehow the screw struck the iron bar that passes from the
rudder pintle, and wouldn't hold on anyhow I could fix it.
Just then I let go the oar to feel for a cud, to steady my
narves, and I hadn't any. The tide swept me under her
counter, and away I slipped top o' water. I couldn't manage
to get back, so I pulled the lock and let the thunder-box
slide. That's what comes of sailin' short of supplies. Say,
can't you raise a cud among you _now_?"

There is another interesting story to tell, in connection
with the British occupation of New York, which may be fitly
given here. The battle of Long Island had been fought. The
American forces had been safely withdrawn. Washington had
moved the main body of his army, with the bulk of the
stores, from the city, leaving General Putnam behind, in
command of the rear-guard.

Putnam's position was a perilous one. The configuration of
Manhattan Island is such that the British could land a force
from the East River, th