In this way, until Singleton's approach, did Davis seek, in vain, to obtain his information from the stranger. He communicated his ill success to his superior, and the incorrigible Thumbscrew was brought before him. The partisan surveyed him closely, and saw at a glance that the fellow, in southern phrase, was "playing possum," and knew much more than he delivered. But the key was at hand, and the first words of Singleton unsealed the mystery. 66 How are the owls, Thumbscrew?" "At roost, and ready for the moon," was the instant reply; and every feature was full of awakening intelligence. Singleton ordered his men back, and conferred with him alone. "The Swamp Fox is at hand-not moving?" "He waits for Major Singleton, and prepares for the continentals; but must be close, for the tories under Pyles, Huck, Tynes, and Harrison, are all around him." "And how far are we now from Nelson's?" "Just nine miles, and the road clear, all but our scouts. Horry with twenty men scours to the left, and ten of us skirt the track to Nelson's, partly on the look out for you, sir, and partly for the tories." ""Tis well-you have a horse ?" 66 66 Ay, sir, close in the wood." "Shall we be able to reach the Santee before dark?" Impossible, sir, with all your men; but a detachment may, and had better ride on to prepare for the rest. Colonel Marion is fast transferring the boats to the other side, and as the road is clear, sir, you would find it best to spur forward with a few, while the lieutenant brings up the remainder." Desirous of securing the passage, Singleton adopted the counsel, and singling out a dozen of his best horse, he led the way with his new guide, and left Humphries to bring up the cavalcade. CHAPTER XVII. "I love the wild adventure-the thick woods, THE little force led by Singleton in advance of his main body continued to make acquisitions at every step of its progress. The scouts of Marion, lining the woods at convenient intervals from each other, were soon notified of the approach of friends by the peculiar whistle which Thumbscrew employed; a whistle shrill in itself, and singularly modulated, which Marion's men were all taught to understand. They came out, one by one, from the bush; brought out their hidden horses, and each, answering to his nom de guerre, as it was called out by Thumbscrew, took his place along with the advancing party. There were Supple Jack and Crabstick, Red Possum and Fox Squirrel, Slickfoot and Old Ben; all men of make and mettle, trusty and true, and all of them, in after years, winning a goodly reputation in the land, which the venerable tradition, in sundry places, will "not willingly let die." The river was now at hand, and Thumbscrew was required to give the signal to the scouts who were at watch along its banks. He did so, and the effect was admirable. From one bush to another, cover to cover, they all gave back the emulous sounds. The old cy press had a voice from its hollow, the green bush from its shade, and the shrill echoes rollingly arose from the crowding leaves of the thick tree that overhung the river, reverberating far away along its bosom. The signal was but once repeated, and all was still for a moment. Suddenly, the approaching troop heard the plash of paddles, the plunge of a horse in the water, and a quick, lively blast from the common horn, the sounds seeming to arise from the swamp on the opposite shore. Pushing his steed forward, and followed by his men, Singleton rode up to the bluff of the river, just as the last gay glimpses of the setting sun hung like so many rose-streaks upon its bosom, trembling to and fro like so much gossamer on the green edges of the gathering foliage. And what a sight, in addition, was before their eyes! The surface of the river was strown with boats of all sorts and sizes. A dozen or more, filled with the men of Marion, were in progress from one side of the stream to the other, while they towed behind them as many more, laden with live-stock and provisions—a large assessment having just been made upon the farmsteads of the neighbouring tories. They had reached the centre of the stream, when the signal of the scouts struck their ears; and the quick command of their leader, the renowned partisan-for it was Marion himself who led them-arrested their farther progress. He stood erect when the troopers rode up to the bank; and the eye of Singleton soon distinguished him from the rest. Yet there was little in his appearance, to the casual spectator, to mark him out from his compatriots. His habiliments were not superior to theirs. They had borne the brunt of strife, and needed, quite as much as many of the rest, the friendly hand of repair and restoration. His person was small, even below the middle stature, and exceedingly lean and slender. His body was well-set, however, with the exception of his knees and ankles, which were thick, incompact, and badly formed. At the time, he rested almost entirely upon one leg-the other being at ease upon the gunwale of the boat. He still suffered pain in one of his limbs from a recent hurt; and in walking, an unpleasant limping movement was readily perceptible. His dress, as Singleton now beheld him, was one rather unusual for a commanding officer from whom so much was expected. It consisted of a close-bodied jacket, of a deep crimson colour, but of coarse texture. His smallclothes, of the fashion of the day, were badly conceived for such a figure as his. The free Turkish trowsers might have concealed those defects which the closely fitting fashions of the time rendered unnecessarily conspicuous. His were of a blue stuff, coarse, like the jacket, and made with exceeding plainness, without stripe or ornament of any description, beyond the frog of his sword, the small cut-and-thrust which hung rather low at his side. A white handkerchief about his neck, wound loosely, accorded strangely with the rest of his dress, and did not seem, in its disposition, to have tasked much of the care, in arrangement, of the wearer. His uniform, if so it may be styled, was completed by the round leathern cap, forming a part of the dress which he wore when an officer in the second South Carolina regiment, and bore in front a silver crescent, with the words, "Liberty or Death," inscribed beneath. He wore no plume, but in its place a white cockade, which was worn by all his men, in order that they might be more readily distinguished in their night actions with the tories. Such was the garb of the famous guerilla-the Swamp Fox-of Carolina. The features of his face did not ill accord with the style of his garments. His skin was dark and swarthy; his eyes, black, piercing, and quick; his forehead, high, full, and commanding; his nose was aquiline; his chin bold and projecting, though not sharp; and his cheek sunken, and deeply touched with the lines of thought. He was now fortyeight years of age-in the very vigour of his manhood-hardened by toil and privation, and capable of enduring every sort of fatigue. Cool and steady, inflexible, unshrinking; never surprised; never moving without his object, and always with the best design for effecting it-Marion, perhaps, of all the brave men engaged in the war of American liberty, was the one best calculated for the warfare of the partisan. His patriotism, wisdom, and fearlessness moved always together, and were alike conspicuous. Never despairing of his cause, he was always cheerful in vicissitude, and elastic under defeat. His mind rose, with renewed vigour, from the press of necessity; and every new form VOL. II.--O of trial only stimulated him to newer and more suc cessful efforts. His moral and military character, alike, form the most perfect models for the young, that can be furnished by the history of any individual of any nation. The paddles of the rowers were lifted as Singleton appeared in sight. The boats rested in the centre of the river, and, shading his eye with his hand, Marion closely noted the troop as its several members wound out of the woods and gathered along the bank. He did not need much time in the survey, before his keen eye singled out the persons of such of the new-comers as he had before known. His voice, strong, regular, and even in its utterance, though at the same time subdued and musical, was heard immediately after. "Ah, Major Singleton, you are as prompt as ever. I rejoice to see you. You come in good season, though you come but poorly accompanied." A few words from Singleton explained the cause of his apparent weakness, and the orders of Marion were promptly given. "Lieutenant Conyers, throw off the empty boats and put back after me in your own, leaving the spare ones. Take the whole of them, for the squad of Major Singleton will doubtless fill them all. McDonald, convey the rest to the camp, and let Oscar* bring Ballf with him. It may be difficult otherwise to get the strange horses over, and there is no flat." soon With these, and a few other instructions, Marion led the way back to where Singleton with his troop awaited him; and a few minutes only had elapsed when they stood once more together in close conference. The brief history of past events was given, and the major was delighted to meet with the unqualified approval of his superior. He learned from Marion that his uncle had gone on to join with Gates only a few hours before his arrival, having been anxious to find active service at as early a time as possi *His favourite servant. † Ball, his horse-a noble animal, that always led the advance in swimming the rivers. |