Champe was munificently rewarded, and General Washington gave him a discharge from further service, lest, in the vicissitudes of war, he might fall into the enemy’s hands, in which event, if recognized, he could expect no mercy.  Champe resided in London county, Virginia, after leaving the army.  He afterward removed to Kentucky, where he died.  For a full account of his adventures, we may refer the reader to Major Lee’s Memoirs, to which we have been largely indebted.

ADVENTURE WITH PIRATES.

There lived, not many years ago, on the eastern shore of Mt.  Desert—­a large island off the coast of Maine—­an old fisherman, by the name of Jedediah Spinnet, who owned a schooner of some hundred tons burden, in which he, together with some four stout sons, was wont to go, about once a year, to the Grand Banks, for the purpose of catching codfish.  The old man had five things, upon the peculiar merits of which he loved to boast—­his schooner, “Betsy Jenkins,” and his four sons.  The four sons were all their father represented them to be, and no one ever doubted his word, when he said that their like was not to be found for fifty miles around.  The oldest was thirty-two, while the youngest had just completed his twenty-sixth year, and they answered to the names of Seth, Andrew, John, and Samuel.

One morning a stranger called upon Jedediah to engage him to take to Havana some iron machinery belonging to steam engines for sugar plantations.  The terms were soon agreed upon, and the old man and his sons immediately set about putting the machinery on board; that accomplished, they set sail for Havana, with a fair wind, and for several days proceeded on their course without any adventure of any kind.  One morning, however, a vessel was descried off their starboard quarter, which, after some hesitation, the old man pronounced a pirate.  There was not much time allowed them for doubting, for the vessel soon saluted them with a very agreeable whizzing of an eighteen pound shot under the stern.

“That means for us to heave to,” remarked the old man.

“Then I guess we’d better do it hadn’t we?” said Seth.

“Of course.”

Accordingly, the Betsy Jenkins was brought up into the wind, and her main-boom hauled over to windward.

“Now boys,” said the old man, as soon as the schooner came to a stand, “all we can do is to be as cool as possible, and to trust to fortune.  There is no way to escape that I can see now; but, perhaps, if we are civil, they will take such stuff as they want, then let us go.  At any rate there is no use crying about it, for it can’t be helped.  Now get your pistols, and see that they are surely loaded, and have your knives ready, but be sure and hide them, so that the pirates shall see no show of resistance.  In a few moments all the arms which the schooner afforded, with the exception of one or two old muskets, were secured about the persons of our Down Easters, and they quietly awaited the coming of the schooner.