and the French. This, as it was highly illegal, relaxed their

loyalty, and as it brought them in relation with the politest

people on the earth, divided even their sympathies. In short, they

were like all the smugglers in the world, spies and agents ready-

made for either party. Our Albanian, besides, was a very honest

man indeed, and very greedy; and, to crown our luck, he conceived a

great delight in our society. Before we had reached the town of

New York we had come to a full agreement, that he should carry us

as far as Albany upon his ship, and thence put us on a way to pass

the boundaries and join the French. For all this we were to pay at

a high rate; but beggars cannot be choosers, nor outlaws

bargainers.

We sailed, then, up the Hudson River, which, I protest, is a very

fine stream, and put up at the "King's Arms" in Albany. The town

was full of the militia of the province, breathing slaughter

against the French. Governor Clinton was there himself, a very

busy man, and, by what I could learn, very near distracted by the

factiousness of his Assembly. The Indians on both sides were on

the war-path; we saw parties of them bringing in prisoners and

(what was much worse) scalps, both male and female, for which they

were paid at a fixed rate; and I assure you the sight was not

encouraging. Altogether, we could scarce have come at a period

more unsuitable for our designs; our position in the chief inn was

dreadfully conspicuous; our Albanian fubbed us off with a thousand

delays, and seemed upon the point of a retreat from his

engagements; nothing but peril appeared to environ the poor

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