He heard a sharp rap at the front door & he instantley seized his
musket & went to open it but nothing was to be seen he had faced armys & felt little fear
but he was rather startled at shadows
yet he went into his chair as a garrison & kept his musket ready
cocked in his hand giving any leave to
enter that pleased for he well knew he could trust his musket but all was still & in turning to see if his candle wanted
trimming which stood by the side of a
large picture that reached to the very floor of the room to his astonishment he thought he saw it
start from the wall & come a
considerable step on the floor
he wiped his eyes &
would not believe them but it moved
back to the wall & of that he was certain & he went up to the wall to
examine it where all was as fast as the foundation of the house & he laughd to himself as he trimmed
the candle which stood on a little table close by it to throw a better light on the point of
attack the door & at the same time
to observe that of the chair in the [dark]
He had seen pictures in
Holland of all sizes & in the
Louver of all sorts but he never saw
any one of such consummate exellence as
to move from the walls on which they were hung unless by human assistance so being well up to the service of attack
& defence he tryed a ruse de guere or false [front] to mislead the invisible enemy if such it were tho the soldier thought t[o] be sure that it was some curious piece of
mech[anical device] at all events he knew when to make alarms
& when [to] be silent
'I will go to sleep
said he for the girls a[re] only frightened at shadows' & like a skilful general he masked his batterys
under the impression of a morning sleep tho at the same time he had his eyes wide open
looking over the chair at the picture which
to his surprise moved from the wall a second time & a human hand nothing else appeared as if thrust thro the solid wall where the
candle was in its reach & the room was suddenly in darkness
the soldier shifted his
quarters from the chair in an instant & kept a strict eye on the door as
the point of attack & a tall figure as it open[ed] showed it self to his
sight when a shrill whistle faint[ly]
whispered was heard he pointed his [musket]
when [he heard] a groan & a noise
as if somthing had fallen from the back of a porter
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