"This," continued Grantham, after a slight pause, during which the bottle was again circulated, "was delightful intelligence. Distrustful as I was of Desborough, I could not have been deceived by this advice, even had I not thus fortunately become acquainted with the whole of the design; but now that I knew my man, and could see my way, I at once resolved to appear the dupe they proposed to make me. Specie, too, for the payment of the garrison! This was no contemptible prize with which to commence my career. Besides, the boat was well manned; and although without cannon, still, in point of military equipment, quite able to cope with my crew, which did not exceed thirty men. "With your knowledge of Desborough's character, it will not surprise you to learn, although I confess I boiled with indignation at the moment to hear, that the object of the scoundrels was, with a view to the gratification of their own private vengeance, not merely to raise a doubt of my fidelity, but to prefer against me a direct charge of treason. Thus, in their vulgar language, they argued. If misled by their representations, I quitted my station on the channel, and fell into the ambuscade prepared for me near Turkey Island, I raised a suspicion of the cause of my absence, which might be confirmed by an anonymous communication; and if, on the other hand, I escaped that ambuscade, the suspicion would be even stronger, as care would be taken to announce to the English garrison the fact of my having been bribed to leave the channel free for the passage of a boat, filled with money and necessaries for Detroit. My return to my post immediately afterwards would confirm the assertion; and so perfectly had they, in their wise conceit, arranged their plans, that a paper was prepared by the son and handed to his father, for the purpose of being dropped in the way of one of the officers--the purport of which was an accusation against me, of holding a secret understanding with the enemy, in proof whereof it was stated that at an important moment, I should be found absent from my post. I think I am correct, Captain Molineux." "Perfectly," returned that officer--"such indeed were the contents of the paper which I picked up in my rounds about daylight yesterday morning, and which I have only again to express my regret that I should have allowed to make on me even a momentary impression. Indeed, Grantham, I am sure you will do me the justice to believe, that until we actually saw the American boat passing, while you were nowhere to be seen, I never for one moment doubted its being, what it has proved to be--the falsest and most atrocious of calumnies."