Part 17 (1/2)
Having put our firear our friends three cheers, dashed off, just as the broad-faced ained a very convenient swaiving alarm, we struck into the swa all day
About eleven o'clock, Marion sent out a couple of ni ood heed to as going on In the evening they returned, and brought word, that the road had been constantly alive with horseuns, and all aily towards the place the lad had told us of Soon as it was dark, we allop, which, by early supper ti our horses under a suard, we advanced quite near theht had they of Marion, that they had not placed a single sentinel, but were, all hands, gathered about the fire: so cards, as we could hear theain, daad!”
Poor wretches, little did they think how near the fates were grinning around thee fires, Marion divided our little party of sixty men into three co us to take aie In a htning, accompanied by a tremendous clap of thunder
Down tu; loud screamed the wounded; while far and wide, all over the woods, nothing was to be heard but the running of tories, and the snorting of wild bounding horses, snapping the saplings Such a tragi-co up to their fires, we found we had killed twenty-three, and badly wounded as many more; thirteen we razed by a bullet, but were so frightened that they could not budge a peg We got eighty-four stand of arlish muskets and bayonets, one hundred horses, with new saddles and bridles, all English too, with a good deal of ae The consternation of the tories was so great that they never drea
Even their fiddles and fiddle bows, and playing cards, were all left strewed around their fires One of the gah shot dead, still held the cards hard gripped in his hands
Led by curiosity to inspect this strange sight, a dead gambler, we found that the cards which he held were ace, deuce, and jack
Clubs were truame, in his own hand, he seemed to be in a fair way to do well; but Marion came down upon him with a trump that spoiled his sport, and non-suited hiht of all, was the fine supper which the tories had cooked! three fat roasted pigs and six turkeys, with piles of nice journey cakes 'Tis true, the dead bodies lay very thick round the fires: but having rode seventy ht before, ere too keen set to think of standing on trifles; so fell upon the poor tories' provisions, and made the heartiest supper in the world And, to crown all, we found a the spoil, upwards of half a barrel of fine old peach brandy
”Ah, this brandy!” said Marion, ”was the worst foe these poor rogues ever had
But I'll take care it shall be no foe to us” So, after ordering half a pint to each uard
And I must observe, by way of justice to my honored friend, that success never seeht of safety in the blaze of victory For instantly after the defeat, our guns were all loaded and our sentinels set, as if an enehborhood
Chapter 15
The whigs in high spirits on account of our success -- an express froreat wrath -- sketch of their treatment of the patriots
The news of this fourth overthrow of the ene both our friends and foes; producing everywhere the liveliest e as the hearers happened to be well or ill affected towards us The impression which it hts than honey or the honeycoellation of the tories, in cae, with a coeneral for Marion, and a full colonel's co always looked up to my country as to a beloved mother, whose liberty and prosperity were inseparably connected with hted at hearing her say, by her favorite son, governor Rutledge, that, 'reposing especial trust in e, conduct, and attention to her interests, she had appointed me a colonel in her armies,' &c &c
Scarcely had I perused my commission, before Marion reached me HIS; and with a smile, desired eneral”, I snatched his hand and exclaimed, ”Huzza! God save eneral!
Aye that will do! that will do! that sounds somewhat in unison with your deserts”
”Well, but what do you think of the style,” replied he, ”and of the prerogative -- is it not prodigiously in the pompous?”
”Not at all,” said I
”No,” continued he; ”why now to MY notion, it is very ives me doreat sea, like Tarace of God, king of Great Britain, FRANCE,'
&c &c whereas, poor George dares not set a foot there, even to pick up a periwinkle!”
”Well, but general,” said I, ”as the English gave France to George because they wish hiives you this vast district for the same reason”
”Perhaps so,” replied Marion
The truth is, governor Rutledge was a most ardent lover of his country; and, therefore, almost adored such an unconquerable patriot as Marion
Hence, when he found, that notwithstanding the enerals and ar the victories, and proclamations, and threats of Cornwallis and Tarleton, Marion still stood his ground, and fought and conquered for Carolina; his whole soul was so filled with love of hidolory thereof,”
had they been in his gift Indeed what he did give hiave him all that territory, co the sea, to Georgetown; thence westerly to Ca a domain of extent, population, and wealth, iovernor had no doms in the moon; for the whole of it was in the hands of the British, and their friends the tories; so that the governor had not a foot to give Marion; nor did Marion hold a foot of it but by his own vigilance and valor; which were so extraordinary, that his enemies, with all their men, money, and overnor Rutledge, with all the good whigs of the state, were thus heartily rejoicing with Marion for his victories, the British and tories were astheir teeth upon him for the same To be struck four such severe blows, in so short a ti one over another in such cursed cli, in this manner, their dear allies, with all their subsidies of arms, ammunition, and money; to have their best friends thus cooled; their worst ene up, out of a soil where they had pro but the richest fruits of passive obedience: and all this by a little, ugly spawn of a Frenche they must and would have; that was certain: and since, with all their efforts, they could not get at Marion, the hated trunk and root of all, they were deters, ie to carry the curses of fire and sword through all their fae spirit appeared a a few poor British cadets, or piney wood tories, it would not have been so lanorance of those divine truths, which exalt the soul above such hellish passions, would have furnished soeneral, and that general a nobleman! a lord!
with an archbishop for his brother, and hot-pressed bibles, and morocco prayer books, and all such excellent helps, to teach hiht”; that such a one, I say, should have originated the infernal warfare, of plundering, burning, and hanging the American patriots, is most HORRIBLE And yet, if possible, more true than horrible Yes, sure as the day of doom, when that fearful day shall come, and lord Cornwallis, stript of his ”brief authority”, shall stand, a trehost before that equal bar: then shall the evil spirit, fro bloody order, and grinning an insulting smile, flash it before his lordshi+p's terrified optics