152 DUTCH AND ENGLISH ON THE HUDSON

Three years before, in the King's camp, he had
knelt when Mass was celebrated. Who knew what
Catholic designs might lurk behind this significant
act? Rumor grew into suspicion, and suspicion
turned to panic. At length Nicholson fell into an
altercation with an officer on guard at Fort James
who asserted his authority. In the course of
the argument the Lieutenant-Governor remarked
angrily: "I would rather see the city on fire
than commanded by an impudent fellow like
him." Next morning word had spread far and wide
through the town that Nicholson had threatened
to burn New York, and all was in an uproar. A
crowd of citizens appeared at the house of Leisler,
who was an officer in the train-band, a citizen well
known for honesty, a stanch, even bigoted Prot-
estant, and withal a man of firm purpose, and
they begged him to act as their leader in a deter-
mined effort to preserve their liberties and hold
New York for William and Mary. It is easy to
see on looking back over two centuries that the
dangers of conspiracy were greatly exaggerated;
but we must remember that these men really
believed that they themselves and all that they
held sacred were in jeopardy. The possibility of
war with France was indeed not remote; and fear