Part 24 (2/2)

But the vigilance and activity of his scouts frustrated this well-concerted plan entirely Getting early notice of this eneral Canty, Marion instantly started his troops, cooons and pushed hard for the saain the bridge before the ene destroyed it as soon as we crossed, we concealed ourselves in the dark swa their arrival In a short time, they came in full view on the opposite hill, and there encaer, for they saw nothing of us, two of their men came down for water to the river Unable to resist such a tehts and let fly

The two Englishmen fell; one of thehtened, that he bellowed like a bull-calf for help

Several of his gallant countrymen ran to his assistance, but they were shot down as fast as they got to hiraph” is used here, as any systenal fires, se colonel Watson sent a flag over to Marion, who on war in a manner entirely different from all civilized nations ”Why sir,” said he to Marion, ”you ht in nothing but e, but I a Even my sentries are fired at and killed on their posts Why, ht to fight!”

To this Marion replied, that ”he was sorry to be obliged to say, that from what he had known of them, the British officers were the last ht to preach about honor and humanity

That foran innocent people, and then to tell that people how they ought to fight, betrayed an ignorance and impudence which he fain would hope had no parallel in the history of man That for his part, he always believed, and still did believe that he should be doing God and his country good service to surprise and kill such men, while they continued this diabolical warfare, as he would the wolves and panthers of the forest”

Thus ended the correspondence for that tis remained in this state between the hostile parties, Macdonald, as usual, was e himself in a close and bold reconnoitre of the ene found out the situation of their sentries, and the ti them, he climbed up into a bushy tree, and thence, with a uard as they passed by; of whom he killed one man, and badly wounded the lieutenant, whose na down the tree, he mounted his swift-footed Seli colonel Watson sent another flag to Marion, requesting that he would grant a passport to his lieutenant Torquano, as badly wounded, and wished to be carried to Charleston

On receiving the flag, which happened while I was by him, Marion turned to me, and with a smile said, ”Well, this note of colonel Watson looks a little as if he were co to his senses But who is lieutenant Torquano?”

I replied that he was a young Englishman, who had been quartered in Charleston, at the house of that good whig lady, Mrs Brainford and her daughters, whom he had treated very politely, and often protected from insults

”Well,” said he, ”if that be lieutenant Torquano, he must be a very clever fellow; and shall certainly have a passport to Charleston, or even to Paradise, if I had the keys of St Peter”

On repassing Black river in haste, Macdonald had left his clothes behind him at a poor woman's house, where the ene just mentioned, he sent word to colonel Watson, that if he did not iht of his men to pay for them

Several of Watson's officers ere present when the e was delivered, advised him by all means to return his clothes, for that they knew hi he set his head upon; witness his late daring act of cli enemies Watson sent him back his wallet of clothes

Soon after this, the eneht, and took the road towards Santee On the return of day announcing their flight, Marion ordered me to take the mounted riflemen, thirty in number, with fifty horse, and pursue and harass the enemy as much as possible, till he could coht I approached their enca swamp; whence I continued to send out small parties, frequently relieved, with orders to pop away at their sentinels, and keep theht At daybreak they pushed hard for the sandpit bridge

We followed close in the rear, constantly firing on them from every thicket and swa false charges Never did I see a body of infantry ply their legs so briskly The rogues were constantly in a dog trot, except when they occasionally halted to give us a blast, which they did froh their bulletsthe branches over our heads, yet thank God they did no har so within a few e, which we quickly rendered i off the plank and sleepers

Then having posted my riflemen in the thick woods, within fifty yards of the ford, under command of lieutenant Scott, I drew up my cavalry close in the rear, and waited iive a handsome Bunker's Hill account of theht, and for place, though full waist deep

My heart now throbbed with anxiety; looking every mo destruction through their ranks

But, to s bursted forth; no thunders roared; no enee, I looked around for the cause, behold! my brave lieutenant Scott, at the head of his rifleun in his hand, and the black marks of shame and cowardice on his sheepish face

”Infa my sword over his head, ”where is that hetacoeance of your injured country?”

He began to sta hiht It is worthy of re for him, called him a coward to his face, and declared that it was he who had restrained the them they were flanked by the enemy, ould assuredly cut them to pieces if they fired a shot

As the advance of the British were thus undisturbedly passing on, a heavy firing was suddenly heard in the rear It was Marion; who, having coreat fury

The British did not halt, but continued a running fight through the woods till they gained the open fields; where, by means of their artillery, they kept us at a distance In this rencontre, Watson had his horse killed under hiround

His wounded filled several wagons

He did not halt a ht encamped on the plantation of Mr Trapier, to whom he told a dreadful story about Marion and his daht like gentle around hi at him from behind every tree he went by

As it was too late to pursue the eneht near the field of battle, and nextmarched for his old post, Snow's Island, where he allowed us a few days of welcome repose