Nairne stayed on at Murray Bay in 1780 much longer than the two months for which he had originally asked.  A part of his duty was to watch that American colony, so different in station and situation from the many Americans who now visit the spot.  As yet there were no barracks in which to confine the poor fellows, and the climate of Murray Bay is not too hospitable in winter.  Some kind of rough quarters must have been prepared for the prisoners, in the winter of 1779-80, and they were kept busy in helping to build the houses intended for their occupation.  They seemed contented.  One of them Nairne kept about his person.  He knew where everything was placed and all the men were used, Nairne says, in the best manner he could think of.  But liberty is sweet and they longed for their own land.  So, early in May, 1780, when the ice was out of the river and there was a chance to get away, eight of them made a dash for liberty.[11] No doubt under cover of night, they stole a boat and put out boldly into the great river across which, in so small a craft, few ever venture, even in mild summer weather.  Almost wonderful to relate, they reached the south shore in safety.  Nairne was uncertain whether they had gone up, down, or across the river.  He hurried to Tadousac, crossed to Cacouna and then went up the south shore.  At St. Roch he found that the men, rowing a boat, had been seen to pass.  On May 14th this boat was found abandoned.  On the 15th the men were seen on the highway carrying their packs.  We are almost sorry to learn that the poor fellows were in the end captured and taken to Quebec.  Nairne reported the flight of these men on the 14th of May.  Their example was contagious for, on the 18th, while he was absent in their pursuit, four others made off, found a small boat on the shore some nine miles from Malbaie, and put out into the river, where their tiny craft was seen heading for Kamouraska on the south shore.  A few days later two others also escaped.  These had not courage to strike out into the river, and one of them was caught at Baie St. Paul.  Nairne offered a reward of four dollars for each of the prisoners and probably all were taken.  A sequel of the incident was that a non-commissioned officer and eight men of the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment were sent to guard the remaining prisoners at Murray Bay—­a task apparently beyond Nairne’s local militia.  This guard was, no doubt, composed of Germans; one wonders to what extent they fraternized with the French Canadians.  It is amusing to read that, when one of them deserted, he was brought back by a habitant.

In 1781 we find Nairne stationed at Vercheres on the south side of the St. Lawrence, nearly opposite Montreal.  He was now in charge of the expatriated Loyalists who had found refuge in that part of Canada.  A whole corps of them were billeted in the two parishes of Vercheres and Contrecoeur—­the officers chiefly at Contrecoeur.  They lived, of course, in the cottages with the habitants.  On December