Who, wouldst thou think it, by his chieftain trusted, And even this moment placed in high command, And honoured to profusion by his country--
The Americans in truth almost adore him--
That I do correspond with daily. O Britain, Britain, That one descended from thy true-born sons Should plot against the soil that gave him birth, And for the value of a little gold
Betray its dearest rights.
But traitors are the growth of every country
And Arnold is our own!
Sir Henry. What say you? Arnold?
Can Arnold then be bought? I greet you now!
Arnold, in chief command at West Point fort?[Pg 44] Arnold, who galled our sides in Canada?
Arnold, who took and plundered Montreal?
Gold shall not here be scarce if gold can buy him;
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Ten thousand sterling pounds are at his service, And twice ten thousand more if he deliver
This West Point fort with its dependencies
Into the hand of Clinton.
Maj. Andre. If we can gain the fort we all things gain, The country round must at our mercy lie;
Then may our shipping sail to Albany, Disbark the troops that march for Saratoga,
Who, taking thence the route to Lake Champlain, May soon reduce the forts, and in a month
Open a new acquaintance with the north, Communicated free to Canada.-- Another great advantage we shall gain:
By being masters then of Hudson's river, We shall cut off all intercourse and passage Between the eastern and the southern states, Which I conceive will be of consequence Toward the speedy ending of the war.
Sir Henry. And so you say that we can buy the fort; Then happy I--my fame and fortune sure;
This service will be of such eminence
That Britain never can requite Sir Henry.
Maj. Andre. I do report that you can buy the fort, For well I know the man I have to deal with;
For just ten thousand guineas
The troops, the fort, and Arnold are your own. And to this man, altho' he be a rascal,
You must consider we are obligated.
He quits his friends, his honour, and his country,
The fame of all his great and brilliant actions,[Pg 45] And the encomiums both of France and Spain, Perhaps all Europe, Britain not excepted,
Sold for ten thousand guineas and to serve us. Sir Henry. And obligated we confess ourselves. This West Point fort--for this a long campaign
I spent along the shores of Hudson's river, And failed at last with loss of Stony Point,
The works, the stores, and twice three hundred soldiers, The prime of all my pack;--yes, powerful gold,
I own thy aid in this extremity.
Tho' Britain be the greatest in the world In ships and men with genius for the sea, Yet cannot her stout navy take this fort
By open force with all its weight of cannon. It stands upon a craggy eminence,
All fenced around with towers and battlements, The works of mighty nature.
To these subjoined the nicest aids of art-- Glacis and bastions, flanks and counter scarps, Horn works and moat, half moons and covert way, Trenches and mines, tenaille and battery,
With guns of every size and every bore, And such a host of desperadoes there,
Who to the last drop of their blood would hold it, That none but devils, I presume, can take it. Beside, in sailing up the Hudson river,
When from this fort you're yet a full mile distant, You turn a point at whose extremity
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So high the mountains swell above the flood
That in a moment all your sails are lifeless;
The southern breezes die that blew with vigor, And there you lie at mercy of the fort,
Your ships raked fore and aft and ruin around you. But all these difficulties cease if Arnold[Pg 46] Betray the place, as you would fain assure me.
Now tell me, friend, the manner, how and when
You did entice this champion from his duty.
Maj. Andre. From some connection I have had with him, I found the leading feature of his soul
Was avarice. He could feign and counterfeit, Persuade you black was white or white was black, And swear, as interest prompted, false or true. This known, I reasoned thus: If his base soul
Can toil and fret and browbeat death itself, Endure the summer suns and winter snows In tedious route through hyperborean wilds, And sordid wealth alone incites him to it, Why may not British gold have some effect On such a slavish soul? I wrote him straight (Your pardon, sir, it was without your leave) And by a trusty lad I sent the letter,
Sewed in a jacket, to the following import: That if he would forego his present station, Betray the fortress and the garrison,
And he himself come over to our interest,
He should be recompensed in such a manner That he might sit him down at ease in England, Up to the eyes in wealth and laugh at rebels.
Sir Henry. And, pray, what answer did he send to this? Maj. Andre. One that almost outdid my expectation. He wrote me back that if I would adventure
To trust myself within the Americ lines,
He would, by means of secret friends and passports, Gain me admittance to his residence;
Or meeting close in personal interview
In some lone place hereafter to be fixed on,[Pg 47] Confer with me upon the fittest means
Of rendering up his charge. He further added That he was weary of this damned rebellion, For ten thousand guineas would be yours, That doing thus he meant his country's good, And would pursue it to his utmost power.
Sir Henry. Upon a lucky hour you thought of Arnold. But, friend, I charge you, if this scheme succeed,
Take not the merit of it to yourself;
But let the world imagine it was Clinton
Who schemed, who plotted, and seduced the villain; That by this deed more honour I may gain
Than if I had defeated Washington
By dint of blows on yonder Jersey plain.
Your recompense shall not be wanting, Andre;
My trusty friend, go make haste toward the highlands. A frigate shall be ready to convey you.
Accept the proffered conference, and bring
Plans of the fort and all its avenues,
The number of the soldiers that defend it,
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And whate'er else may be of service to us;
That tho' if by chance his treason be discovered, And his designments lose their consummation, We may have somewhat to facilitate--
Some bold attack that may hereafter be Upon this proud and self-sufficient fortress. Maj. Andre. But, sir, consider. If I undertake So bold a stroke as this, I risk my life,
Perhaps may meet an ignominious death. When once I pass the British lines, that instant Do I become a spy. That character
Ever belongs to common, vulgar men,
To suttlers and to pedlars, desperate wretches,[Pg 48] The rubbish and the scourings of the world;
Can I descend to so desperate an office? Sir Henry. But, then, your country!-- Consider what it is you owe your country. Distressed she combats with revolted nations,