any man, or set of men."

I had the cruelty to refuse compliance. It made no difference, however;
for, next day, the Federal Truth Teller had an account of the matter, that
was probably about as accurate as if I had related all the events myself,
and which was also about as true as most of the jeremiads of the journals
that are intended for brilliant effect. It was read with avidity by all
the federalists of America; while its counterpart in the Republican
Freeman, passed, _pari passu_, through all the democratic papers, and was
devoured, with a similar appetite, by the whole of that side of the
question. This distinction, I afterwards ascertained, was made by nearly
the whole country. If a federalist was my auditor, he would listen all day
to that part of my story which related to the capture by the French
privateer; while it was _vice versa_ with the democrats. Most of the
merchants being federalists, and the English having so much more
connection with my narrative than the French, I soon found I was making
myself exceedingly unpopular by speaking on the subject at all; nor was it
long before a story got in circulation, that I was nothing but a runaway
English deserter myself--I, the fifth Miles of my name, at Clawbonny! As
for Marble, men were ready to swear he had robbed his captain, and got off
from an English two-decker only four years before. It is unnecessary to
tell people of the world the manner in which stories to the prejudice of
an unpopular man are fabricated, and with what industry they are
circulated; so I shall leave the reader to imagine what would have been
our fate, had we not possessed the prudence to cease dwelling on our
wrongs. Instead of thinking of appealing to the authorities of my country
for redress, I felt myself fortunate in having the whole affair forgotten,
as soon as possible, leaving me some small portion of character.

I confess, while returning home, I had sometimes fancied I might be
protected by the country of which I was a native, for which I had fought,
and to which I paid taxes; but I was only three-and-twenty, and did not
then understand the workings of laws, particularly in a state of society
that submits to have its most important interests under foreign control.
Had I received a wrong from only a Frenchman, or an Englishman, I should
have fared a little better, in appearance, at least, though my money was
irretrievably gone; for one political party, or the other, as the case