The Crisis of the Revolution

              CHAPTER III.
Tarry town to the Robinson House—Detection.
Now a' is done that men can do,
And a' is done in vain.
Burns.— It was a' for our rigktfn' king.
THU distance to Rentier's was fully a mile and a half or two
miles. During the march, Sergeant Dean was in command,
as is shown by the fact that when Williams annoyed the
prisoner by persistent questioning, he appealed to the Sergeant
for protection, and the latter ordered his tormentor to desist.
Van Wart has left this graphic picture of the march: " You
never saw such an alteration in any man's face. Only a few
moments before he was uncommonly gay in his looks, but after we had made
him prisoner, you could read in his face that he thought it was all over with
him. After travelling one or two miles, he said: ' I would to God you had blown
my brains out when you stopped me.' "
Paulding preceded the others to the Romer house,1 and cautioned Mrs.
Romer, saying: " Take care what you say, Aunt Fanny; I believe we have a
British officer with us." On arrival it was found the basket containing dinner
had been forgotten in the excitement of the morning, and John Romer, James'
younger brother, a boy of sixteen who was destined to live to be ninety-one, was
sent back to the tulip-tree for it. It is not clear whether the party waited at
Romer's for his return,2 or went at once to Reed's,8 where they had borrowed
the cards that morning. This—now known as the Landrine house—still stands
on the north side of the old White Plains road, about one and a half miles from
the New York Central's Tarrytown station, and half a mile from the Bast View
or Tarrytown stations on the New York and Putnam road. The small addition
to it, shown in the illustration, is modern. Andre was taken into the right-hand
room. Here, at the right of the fireplace, is a box stairway,4 and on its first step
he sat while eating bread and milk.   The stairs remain unchanged, but the door
i The party probably also visited the Dean house, though this is not certain.
2 Yerks says all had some food while there, but Andre refused to eat.    It may be that this bouse was the scene
of the dinner referred to by Irving.   See page 34.
* Marked 13 on the map.
* A stairway closed in and hidden by a partition, but without balusters — usually without handrails.    It is
common in old houses.   At this house one authority—J. S. Lee, of Beekniantown—says the party dined
on eggs and bacon.