A Report from the Field part 2

Midshipman Raley of the Terpsichore

We entered the American Camp and began our investigation. We asked about with several of the riflemen as to the whereabouts of Sgt. Baker... all the riflemen knew the gentleman we spoke of, but none could seem to agree on where he was.

On our way down the hill towards town, we spotted a gaggle of ladies coming down the hill towards us. Mrs. Birkenbach and Mrs. Burns were among them, Mrs. Burns carried a small basket under her arm. There, from the end of the basket I espied a packet peeking out!

The middle of the American Camp was no place to affect an arrest, so Lt. Ramsey, Midshipman Raley, Mr. Campbell and I adjourned to the Widow Black's Coffee House to make plans. We were now decided that Miss Bosworth had perhaps fed us the information about Sgt. Baker as a ruse to lead us away from the true culprit.

We played One and Thirty and partook of the widow's fines. We gambled and began to make plans in how we would each spend our shares of the prize money, even going so far as to divide it up in various ways accounting for Miss Bosworth's assistance or the lack thereof (with the mathematical aid from the widow Black herself.).

The Coffee House, click to enlarge

All the while we made plans to detain Mrs. Burns, deciding that the best way to take her with ease would be to do so during the afternoon engagement when the men were all away.