CHAPTER XXI.

MORE REVOLUTIONARY THAN EVER—LIVELY TIMES AT A WATERING-PLACE—THE STARS AND STRIPES INVENTED.

On the 17th of October, 1777, General Washington surrounded and captured the British army under Burgoyne at Saratoga, where they had been spending the Summer, and where it strikes us they had remained rather late in the season.
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REDUCED STATE OF BURGOYNE’S ARMY AT SARATOGA.

The British were entirely¹ out of provisions, and had been living exclusively on congress water for some weeks past. Mr. Burgoyne had written home to the Crown that, if the war was to be successfully 116prosecuted in America, the army must be supplied with something more filling for the price than mineral water. But he must have forgotten to mail the letter, for no commissary stores arrived, and the soldiers continued to subsist² upon their aqueous diet. They were consequently greatly reduced and fell an easy prey³ to the Americans.

That year Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States,[3] which (with the addition of other stars from time to time) has been handed down to grateful posterity⁴, and to-day proudly reveals to the youth of a free Republic the whereabouts of the circus tent.

3.  Note—This supplied a want long felt, as the army had hitherto rallied round Mr. Washington’s red pocket handkerchief tied to a broom handle.

1 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

2 subsist   

vi.生存，存在，供养

参考例句：

• We are unable to subsist without air and water.没有空气和水我们就活不下去。
• He could subsist on bark and grass roots in the isolated island.在荒岛上他只能靠树皮和草根维持生命。

3 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

4 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。