CHAPTER VII. At the gate of the Fort, Saunders gave up the prisoners to a sentry, and they saw no more of him. They were conducted to the commandant, Major Duposters, who inquired the news. They told him of the capture of Cornwallis. Although this event happened on the 19th of October, 1781, more than six months before the prisoners reached Detroit, knowledge of that important event had not reached the post, so distant was it from the center of intelligence, and cut off from communication with the eastern part of the continent. The major received the story of the prisoners with much doubt, and took measures to prevent their statement from getting abroad. After having been taken to the Commissary and Provost, they were ordered to be closely confined, and directions were given that no one should have access to them. They soon suspected the reason why they were treated with such severity, and in order to obviate the necessity for rigor, they tools every opportunity to spread the news. The sentinels were changed at stated periods, and every fresh guard was informed of the important event. The prisoners also stationed themselves at the windows of the prison, and cried out to the people in the streets, that Cornwallis and all his army were taken. By this means she intelligence was soon spread over the town. When Fitch was captured on the Ohio, he had Mitt him a graver. With that instrument he pleased his Indian captors by marking fancy devices on their powder horns. When he reached Detroit he had it with him, and now gratified his guards by similar work. He was so industrious that during two weeks while at that station, he earned eight dollars, with which he bought himself a supply of sugar, tea, cheese, butter, and other stores for his use during the voyage which he expected shortly to take over Lake Erie. About two weeks after the arrival at Detroit, the prisoners were sent off in an armed brig commanded by Capt. Burnett, a good and humane man. After a tedious voyage over the Lake, during which they encountered a severe storm, they reached Fort Eric, at the entrance of the Niagara river, in two weeks' time. They were immediately despatched thence to Fort Schlosser, and arrived at Niagara that evening, where they remained about a day and a half. They were then placed on board the Ship Linebye, to cross Lake Ontario. This voyage was very uncomfortable. The prisoners, together with a horse and cow, were placed in the hold, and two persons only were permitted to be on deck at the same time. This uncomfortable situation was luckily of short continuances The day after their departure they arrived at a fort situate on Carleton Island, at the entrance of the St. Lawrence river. They were confined there for twenty four hours it a small room without fire or lights and compelled to cat their food raw. Escorted thence to Fort Oswagatchie by a party of soldiers, who were ordered to blow their brains out in case o misbehavior they gladly heard at tote latter place at they were to have new guards, under whose guidance they were marched to Coteau du Lac, their place of destination. Here they were mustered, and their names, birth places, and occupations noted, under the direction of Capt. Anderson, the superintendent. To an island opposite Coteau du Lao, then named Prison Island, Fitch and twenty others were finally conveyed, on the 25th of May, 1789. This place was the depot for prisoners taken by the British in the north and north west. An area of seventy or eighty acres gave ample room for exercise, and the island being situate amidst 3 dangerous rapid, was deemed sufficiently protected for the purpose of confinement. There were a large number of prisoners there, who were idle, discontented, ready for any kind of mischief, and disposed to think unfavorably of any of their companions who manifested different opinions. Fitch was of an active, industrious temperament, and he could not bear the listless way of life to which he was now introduced. He accordingly commenced preparations to plant and cultivate a spot of ground. One James McKollock aided him, and they cleared a space of twenty pole, which they planted with corn, squashes, peas, cucumbers, and other things, the seeds of which were given them by the British. This project was very unpopular with the other prisoners, and a report was spread about that the intention of the laborers was to give the British a hint, and suggest to them a species of work to which they might all be put, for the benefit of their jailers. This was very unjust, and it could have had its foundation only in the fears of those whose laziness caused them to dislike the prospect of any kind of employment . The prisoners were very carefully provided with rations, and Fitch and McKollock, who were "not great eaters," generally saved about eight pounds of pork every two weeks out of their supplies. With this they obtained, by exchange, tea, butter, cheese, and other luxuries, and with the first produce of this economy Fitch procured a fur cap, which was the first covering which he had for his head since his capture. He now turned his thoughts to the necessity, and, in fact, the comfort of labor in the way of his usual business, and he gives the following interesting account of the expedients to which he resorted: As soon as I had got my seeds in the ground, I began to think of carrying on my trade, for I could not endure the Thought of being Idle; and all the tools I had was my old Graver, and no steel on the island to make any with. And all the tools I could find on the Island was an ax, a handsaw, a Chissel, and Iron Wedge for splitting wood, and a shoemakers hammer, also a fore plain. My first thought was to make a Vice, but before I could make that, I must have a turning lath, to turn the screw; with the saw, ax, chisel, and foreplain, I got it completed. I ought also to have mentioned, that there was an augur and grindstone on the Island. I got a peace of ramrod of a gun, and made the Centures for my Popets; I also got a large blade of a jack knife, and broke it in two, one part of which I made a Chissel, the other a Gouge for turning. The Iron wedge I fixed in a Block, and made my anvil. The shoemaker's hammer I forged with, and our common fire, blowed by my mouth or hat, I forged by. I made a punch out of an Iron hoop, and punched two holes thro' each Broken Blade, and then took an Iron Hoop and punched two holes at each end uniform with the first, and bent the Hoops, and riveted the Broken Blade between the ends of the hoop, and after the Chissel and Gouge was made and hardened, filled the hoop with wood, which made a very good handle. Thus I got my lath completed and turned an augur for cutting the Box of the Vice, and at the same time turned a peace for the screw. I then got the J revs of my Vice, and cut a T c lee of Paper of an equal wealth, and pasted on to the peace designed for my auger, and laid out nay screw, which I sawed round comfortable, and in the proper place fixed a peace of iron noble out of a hoop to cut the screw, but Oval first to make a file to point it properly. I had the Back sprint of said Knife, and by axcedent got an old razor Blade, of which I made Chissels, and forged and clot a file out of the spring, which enabled me to complete my vice. After it was done I put Saves to it with Iron hoops nearly as nice as could be done in the City of Philad, that for some time would punch almost any thing that come between them Some of the British soldiers obtained for him a flat and saw file at Coteau du Lac. Of the Sat file he made a "wire plate." A thin iron hoop was turned into a blow pipe, the edges being hammered closer and being free from leaks. A "sliding tons to hold buttons was made out of an iron hoop. In ten days he had a " fine set of tools," and as as ready to commence work. He bought an old worn out brass kettle from a soldier. The bottom only eras fit to make buttons of. The sides were cut into strips, which were afterward worked into brass wire for the shanks of the buttons. He was now ready to manufacture, but was sadly impeded by the want of borax, with which to prepare his solder. None was to be had nearer than Montreal, and opportunity of sending there and obtaining a return of the article wanted, was not easily to be had by one in his condition. A soldier who was going down was induced to undertake the errand, and to endeavor to obtain the article for him. Whilst he was gone, Fitch bleached ashes and boiled it down, calcined the residuum as well as he could, and made an inferior kind of pearlash, which he intended to use instead of borax. He had great difficulty to make the solder adhesive with this substitute, but he persevered in his task. Thirty or forty pairs of buttons were made before the soldiers returned with the borax. These had all met with a good sale, and upon some he had cut cyphers with his graver, and he declared that they looked "but little inferior to gold." One John Segar, of Massachusetts, an ingenious, handy man, desired to work with him, and he gave him wages. Whilst embarrassed for the want of borax, they procured enough timber to make twelve wooden clocks, boiled it, and took every means to sea son it quickly. Some of the prisoners were hired to bring all the wood they could find to the barrack yard, and were paid off in buttons. A German coal burner, who was among the prisoners, eras induced to turn the wood into charcoal; and Fitch had as much as eighty bushels of this fuel stored away in the loft of the barracks at one time. He also erected a furnace for melting silver; made molds and crucibles out of sheet iron, and could make silver buttons as well as brass ones. His business was now increasing, and John Reynolds, of Vermont, was taken as an apprentice, and towards the latter end of the time, one Clark, of Virginia, was admitted into the company. During the five months that this party was upon Prison Island, they made nine wooden clocks, which they sold at four dollars each; three hundred pair of brass sleeve buttons, and eighty pair of silver buttons. Tools were also made to repair watches, and three or four of those articles were put in order by Fitch whilst in captivity. With the proceeds of his industry, he obtained a superfine suit of clothing, plenty of coarse working clothes, and a good hammock of Russia sheeting, which he swung midway in the barrack, to escape the vermin which the dirty habits of his fellow prisoners had introduced. He had also five blankets, and two or three cords of wood, laid up for Minter. He had also, during the whole time, aided the sick among the prisoners with such comforts as he could procure for them, spending on an average a dollar a week in that wayŃ a very considerable sum, taking into view the means of sale which he had, an(l the low prices which he was compelled to charge. Beside this, his garden furnished his fellow prisoners with vegetables and provisions of other kinds, which to the sick were glad substitutes for the unvarying round of pork and other coarse rations. The British officers, oppressed with the monotony of a garrison life, were glad to have any method of passing away the time, and they made his workshop their resort, where they would sit for hours, watching the processes of manufacture, and conversing with the industrious prisoners. 13y this means he made friends among them, and received many little indulgences at their hands which his companions could not obtain. These manifestations caused considerable envy among the latter, and Parkerson and Hopkins took occasion to inflame their dislike by innuendoes and unfriendly speeches, which caused the manifestation of frequent insults towards him. Having borne this usage for some time, he bethought ,ht himself of a means of protection, by appealing to the New England men, as a New England man, and representing the affronts as being offered because he was a Yankee. This policy had its effect; the natives of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other eastern states. rallied to his support. In a short time Fitch had a Warty of defenders as strong as his opponents, which fact kept tile latter in check, and caused them to cease their annoyance Although it was supposed that Prison Island was guarded by the dangerous rapids in the river surrounding it, those natural obstacles did not prevent some of the captives from making their escape. 'They would construct rafts at the upper end of the territory, and dare the perilous navigation. Some got off, some were drowned, and some were brought back in irons. These occurrences became so common, that the barracks were picketed in; but this precaution did not suffice. During midsummer, thirty escaped in one night. Ten or fifteen more were caught attempting to get away, an(l being brought back, were confined in an inside picket. Some of the prisoners in the next barrack to Fitch, began to burrow towards the place of the confinement of their associates. They had proceeded about ten feet beyond the wall, and under the soil of the parade square, when a heavy rain caused the pickets to sink through the burrow, so that all their labor was in vain, and further progress was impeded. In this dilemma some of them consulted Fitch (who was looked upon as an ingenious man) as to what could be done. He told them that he gas going to work in the garden that day, suggested that there was plenty of old iron hoops on t e islands and that with a file some of them might be easily notched into saws. alley took the hint, and acted accordingly. That night forty or fifty got outside the pickets, and between twenty and thirty escaped from the island. Capt. Anderson had been succeeded in the command at this post by Capt. Carleton, a humane and kind man.