Part 25 (2/2)

And who knows but we ood reason to expect it; and also to hope that God will assist us, who are only fighting toto his own most blessed will And will it not be aas you live, to think that, in such trying tiht and won for yourselves and children all the blessings of liberty

”And, besides,” said I, ”do not the tories, who are e estates?

And have you not arms in your hands, ith to pay yourselves out of their ill-saved treasures?”

This speech seeood deal

I then went to see the general, ith his hands behind hi backwards and forwards in front of his tent, , no doubt, on the desertion of his men; whose numbers, from more than two hundred, were now reduced to less than seventy

”General Marion,” said I, ”I am sorry to tell you that ourto report, we shall soon want soI have been grieving at; but it will signify nothing for us to stand here sighing and croaking; so pray go and order a muster of the men, that I may say a feords to them before they all run off and leave me”

Soon as the troops were all paraded around the door of his tent, he stepped upon the trunk of a fallen pine, and in his plain but impressive manner, addressed us nearly as follows: --

”Gentlemen and fellow-soldiers

”It is not for words to express what I feel when I look around upon your diloried in, and who I fondly thought, would have followed ers for their country And, nohen their country one!

And even those of you who remain, are, if report be true, quite out of heart; and talk, that you and your faer!

But,our tyrants, ill be done to us if we tamely lie down and submit to them?

In that event, what can we expect but to see our own eternal disgrace, and the wide-spread ruin of our country; when our bravest and best citizens shall be hung up like dogs, and their property confiscated to enrich those villains who deserted their country, and joined her ene plundering andyour friends, shall, in reward of such services, be set over you as your governors and lord lieutenants, with princely salaries out of your labors; when foreign bishops and hireling clergy shall be poured upon you like hosts of consecrated locusts, consu the tithes and fat of the land; when British princes, and nobles, and judges, shall swarles over a new-fallen carcass; when an insatiate king, looking on your country as his plantation, and on your children as his slaves, shall take away your substance, every year, for his pomps and pleasures; and to keep you under for ever, shall fill your land with arnant eyes, shall constantly be insulting you as conquered rebels; and under pretence of discovering a you the seeds of another rebellion, shall be perpetually harassing and giving up to military execution the best and worthiest of your fellow-citizens?

”Nowyou, who can bear the thought of living to see his dear country and friends in so degraded and wretched a state as this? If there be, then let that man leave me and retire to his home I ask not his aid

But, thanks to God, I have now no fears about you: judging by your looks, I feel that there is no suchus For s as a thousand tie this day, that if I could die a thousand deaths, ladly would I die them all, rather than live to see radation and wretchedness”

In reply to this speech of our honored general, we told him, in brief, it was on account of his noble sentihly esteemed him; that it was on account of these we had already suffered so much, and were ready to suffer more; and that rather than see our country in that wretched state which he had so feelingly described, and which, with him, we firet the upper hand, we had lorious death

I never saw such a change on the face of a hu, as then took place on that of Marion His eyes sparkled with pleasure, while in transport he exclaimed -- ”Well, now colonel Doyle, look sharp, for you shall presently feel the edge of our swords”

Soon as night cah swi and splashi+ng through the dark floods, we got over, at least about two-thirds of us

The rest, driven down by the force of the current, were cast ashore on hills and high banks, which by the freshet were converted into islands; and there they continued whooping and hallooing to each other all night

When the welcoain into the furious streaood way by the force of the current, arrived safely on our side where we had prepared soe fires to dry their clothes and muskets, and plenty of roasted roots and Indian cakes for breakfast

As God was pleased to have it, none of us lost our lives, though reat coats, blankets, and saddles, and some few their pieces

As to myself, I must needs say, I was never so near the other world indown the stream in the dark,thick ild vines, which soon caughtin the furious flood, while my horse ept from under etting any anshich in to think ive , that after so many fierce frays and hard knocks with the British and tories, I should come at last to be choked like a blind puppy, in this dirty swaht ers, and now tookout, a bold young fellow of the coe of a stout horse, dashed in and took me safely off

I was afraid at first thatthe rest of the horses, he reat coat, and clothes But what grieved me ant silver mounted pistols, a present from Macdonald, and which he had taken froetown

Soon as our firearms were dried, and ourselves and horses were refreshed, we mounted and rode hard all that day, to surprise colonel Doyle

About , who told us that Doyle had been there, but that warned by an express froreat haste, and was certainly by that time far beyond our reach We wereof this precipitate retreat of colonel Doyle; however, after one day of welcoh cheer, we faced about, fully deter our inferiority of force, oncethe ground where we had left hiot advice that he too, with all his troops, were gone off, at a tangent, as hard as he could drive

While ondering what could have possessed the British to scaion, hove in sight, with the welco up full tilt to join us; and also that general Green, with a choice detach towards Camden, to recover the laurels which the incautious Gates had lost