Horse-Shoe Robinson: A Tale of the Tory Ascendency

by John Pendleton Kennedy

  CHAPTER XLIV.

  A MELANCHOLY INCIDENT.

  The hand of the reaper Takes the ears that are hoary, But the voice of the weeper Wails manhood in glory.--_Scott._

  Brief time was taken by the fugitives for refreshment at David Ramsay'sdwelling. Here Butler put on the disguise which Christopher Shaw hadprovided for him. Then arming himself with a pair of pistols which Johnhad appropriated to his use, the trooper himself using a similarprecaution, our two adventurers resumed their journey. Their firstobject was to gain a point, some seven or eight miles distant, in thedirection of the Fair Forest, where John Ramsay had concealed a fewtroopers that had been furnished him by Williams, to give their aid, ifnecessary, in securing Butler's escape.

  From this point they were to proceed, with all possible despatch, toWilliams's camp. However hazardous the experiment of attempting totraverse the country in open daylight, it was deemed still moredangerous to tarry any length of time so near the scene of their lateadventure. Butler and his comrade, therefore, pushed forward with asmuch expedition as possible, resolved to outrun the fresh pursuit whichthey had reason to apprehend upon the discovery which the morning mustproduce at the miller's habitation.

  Soon after sunrise the rain ceased to fall, the clouds dispersed, and afresh and brilliant morning broke forth upon the heavens. The success oftheir late exploit had raised the spirits of the wanderers. A sense ofintense delight animated Butler's feelings: a consciousness of libertyonce more enjoyed, after hopes deferred and almost despairing captivity,seemed to regenerate him and make him acquainted with emotions he hadnever felt before. His heart was full of gratitude to his new friendRamsay, and the expression of it was warm and sincere. Nature had neverappeared so lovely to him as now: the whispers of the forest and themurmur of the clear brook fell on his enfranchised ear like the sweetestmusic: there was melody for him even in the screams of the jay and theharsh notes of the crow: and once when his companion had halted in sightof a buck that bounded through the wood before him, Butler, apprehensivethat John was about to discharge a bullet after the forest-rover, foundhimself involuntarily pleading the cause of the noble animal: "Do notdraw your pistol on him, Ramsay, I pray you. Let him run; it isliberty--liberty, good comrade--and that is sacred."

  Before eight o'clock they had reached the rendezvous. Here they foundthree troopers who, although armed, were habited in the plain dress ofthe country, which enabled them to claim the denomination either of Whigor Tory militia, as their occasions might demand. These men had lainperdue, for some days, in the depth of the forest, impatiently awaitingfor intelligence from Ramsay.

  "Well, Harry Winter," said John, laughing, "what say you now? I havebrought you the miller's boy at last. Have I not made my word good?"

  "Truth, John," replied the trooper, "there is more stuff in you than wecounted on. Macdonald must be a silly crow to let the fox steal hischeese from him so easily."

  "You would have come nearer the mark, Harry, if you had called him asleepy lout, for whilst he was nodding I took his cake off the griddle.It was fair filching by night, as the Major will tell you. But come,lads, here is no time for dallying, we mustn't have the grass growing toour horses' heels, when we have a whole pack of King George's hounds onour trail. So move, boys!" and saying these words, John led the partyforward at a rapid gallop.

  They had not gone far before they found themselves upon a road which ledthrough a piece of thin wood that covered a small tract of marshyground, the nature of which brought the party into a more compact bodyas they approached the narrowest point of the defile. At a shortdistance beyond this impediment the track became broader, where itascended a hill thickly covered with an undergrowth of bushes.

  Our friends had scarcely arrived in the narrow pass before theyperceived on the hill in front of them, a company of some ten or fifteenhorse, rapidly advancing towards them. In a moment all conversation waschecked, and Harry Winter turning to his companions, had barely time toremark,

  "I answer all questions: be silent, and if asked, swear to the truth ofevery word I say--steady: these fellows are Tories."

  As he ceased speaking, the foremost of the strangers had already come upto them.

  "Where from, and whither do you go?" asked Harry Winter, with a sternaccent.

  "From below Ninety-Six, and on our road to Fort Granby," replied aclownish voice.

  "Peace, you knave!" interrupted one who appeared to be the leader of theparty, and whose carriage and demeanor announced him to be an officer;"by what authority do you undertake to answer a challenge on thehighway? Back, to your place, sir."

  The rebuked rustic hung his head, as he reined his horse back into thecrowd that now thronged the road.

  "As we are of the larger party," said the same person, addressinghimself to Winter, "we have the right to the word. Who are you andwhence come you?"

  "We belong to Floyd's new draft," replied Winter with great coolness,"and left Winnsborough yesterday morning."

  "And where bound?"

  "To Augusta, on business with Brown."

  "Ah ha!" exclaimed the officer, "Brown is pinched by the rebels. It iswell you have thought of him. What have you to say to him? Do you beardespatches?"

  "Your pardon, sir--that's a secret."

  "You need not be afraid, good fellow, we are friends."

  "I can hardly tell you the exact business," replied Winter. "You willmeet Floyd himself with a hundred men, before you ride five miles. Ibelieve we are going to reinforce the garrison."

  "You will be very welcome," said the Tory officer, "Brown will give youa hearty reception, but devilish slim fare; he is surrounded withhornets."

  "So much the better," replied Winter, "we have a knack at taking thesting out of the hornets, now-a-days. Good morning, sir. Report us, ifyou please, to Colonel Floyd, when you come across him, and tell him thehour of the day when you met us."

  During this short parley the two parties had become united into a commonthrong, completely filling up the road; and the proximity into whichthey were severally brought, gave rise to various inquiries after newsamongst the subordinates on either side. In this press, Butler wasstartled to observe the eyes of an individual scanning him with asomewhat pointed scrutiny, and it was with an emotion that had well nighbetrayed him, that he recognised in this person one of Macdonald'ssoldiers. It was the man whom the lieutenant had despatched, a few daysprevious, with an errand to the post at Ninety-Six, and who was nowreturning with this detachment of militia. The soldier was evidently atfault, for in a moment afterwards Butler could perceive, from hisexpression of face, that whatever might have been his first suspicion,it was quieted by another glance. The disguise was so far effectual. Butanother cause of alarm arose, that for an instant brought Butler intogreater jeopardy. The horse on which the messenger was mounted, was theyoke-fellow of the lean Wall-Eye, and the two beasts had been longaccustomed to work side by side in the same wagon. Their mutualrecognition, at this critical moment, became distressingly conspicuous.Their noses were brought in contact, and they began to whinny and pawthe ground in that intelligible manner which constitutes one of theforms of expression by which this portion of the brute creationacknowledge their attachments. The presence of mind of John Ramsay savedthe explosion which must soon have followed. He spurred his horsebetween the two noisy and restless animals, and immediately addressed aconversation to the soldier, which for the moment turned his thoughtsinto another channel.

  By this time the conference had terminated, and the two leadersrespectively directing their men to move forward, the defile was passedand each party extricated from the other. But no sooner was theseparation completed than Butler's brutish steed, Wall-Eye, began toneigh with the most clamorous vociferation, whilst a response was heardin the same tones as pertinaciously reiterated from the retreatingcompanion on the other side of the defile.

  "We were in great danger from yonder Tories," said Ramsay, addressingButler, "did you see that one of these fellows rode the mate of
thebeast you are on? Who could he be?"

  "It was one of Macdonald's men," replied Butler, "I knew the fellow themoment we met; but, thank Heaven, this humble dress concealed me."

  "Faster, Major!" cried John, "these cursed horses are calling after eachother now. Pray, push forward until we get out of hearing. How unluckythat Christopher Shaw should have given you one of the wagon cattle!"

  "Look back, lads!" exclaimed Winter with great earnestness, "there issomething wrong, these fellows are returning. Whip and spur, or we areovertaken!"

  Macdonald's soldier, it seems, having his attention drawn to thesingular motions of his horse, had become suddenly confirmed in thesuspicion which at the late meeting for a moment rested upon his mind,as to the identity of Butler; and having communicated his thought to thecommanding officer, the whole party of the Tory militia had wheeledabout to demand a further investigation: they were now some hundredpaces in the rear of the fugitives, and were pressing forward at highspeed, the officer in the front calling out at the same time,

  "Hold!--Rein up and return! We have questions to ask. Halt, or we shallfire!"

  "To it, boys!" cried Harry Winter. "Your safety is in your legs!"

  And the party pricked onward as fast as they could urge their cavalryalong the road. The chase continued for some half hour or more; thelittle escort of Butler leaving the road and plunging into the recessesof the forest. An occasional pistol-shot was fired during this retreat,but without effect on either side. The tangled character of the groundover which they passed, greatly retarded the pursuit, and before thehalf hour was spent none but a few of the boldest horsemen of theassailants were found persevering in the chase. Seeing their numberdiminished, and finding also that the horses of his own comrades werebeginning to flag, John Ramsay assumed the command, and directed hisparty to turn about and offer battle to the pursuers. The immediateeffect of this movement was to bring the assailants to a halt, whichwas no sooner witnessed by John, than he shouted, "Charge, lads, chargeand the day is ours! Hack and hew, good fellows: down with thebloodhounds!"

  This animated exhortation was followed up by a prompt onset, in whichthe brave trooper led the way; and such was the impetuosity of theassault that the enemy, although consisting of twice the number of thosewho attacked them, were forced to give ground. A sharp skirmish ensued,during which several pistol-shots were discharged on both sides, andsome encounters, hand to hand, were sustained with a sturdy resolution;but, at last, our friends succeeded in turning their opponents toflight. The combat had been maintained in that pell-mell form of attackand defence, which defied compact or organized resistance; and theindividuals of each party had been scattered over the wood for aconsiderable distance, so that when the late pursuers were compelled toretreat, each man urged his horse in such a direction as was mostfavorable to his escape. By degrees, Butler's few companions began toreassemble at that part of the wood where they had made their firststand.

  "There is nothing like striking the first blow at the right time," saidHarry Winter, as, with his hat in his hand to allow the air to cool hisbrow, he rode up to Butler, and halted to gain breath. "Give me a hotcharge on a slow enemy, and I don't care much about two to one of odds.Thank God that business is cleanly done, and here we are all safe Ihope. Where is John Ramsay?" he inquired, looking around him, andobserving that their comrade was not amongst the number assembled.

  "I saw him close at the heels of the runaways," said one of the men."John has a trick of seeing a scrimmage to the end; and it is an evenbet that he is now upon the trail like a fresh hound. The last I noticedof him was at the crupper of a couple of the rascals that, I'll engage,before now he has set his mark upon."

  "Then we must to his assistance!" exclaimed Butler, eagerly; and withoutwaiting for further consultation he set off at full speed, in thesupposed direction of John Ramsay's pursuit. The rest followed. They hadridden some distance without being able to perceive any traces of theirmissing companion. Butler called aloud upon Ramsay, but there was noanswer; and, for some moments, there was an anxious suspense as theparty halted to listen for the sound of the footsteps of the trooper'sapproach. At length, a horse was seen far off in the wood, bounding overthe turf at a wild and frightened pace; the saddle was empty, and thebridle-rein hung about his feet. On seeing his companions, the excitedsteed set up a frequent neigh, and, with head and tail erect, coursedimmediately up to the group of horsemen. Here he came to a sudden halt,snorting with the terror of his late alarm. There were drops of bloodupon the saddle.

  "Gracious Heaven!" cried Butler, "some evil has befallen Ramsay. Scatterand search the wood."

  It was with confused and melancholy earnestness that they all nowcontinued the quest. After a painful suspense, one of the men was heardto shout to the rest that their lost comrade was found. The summons soonbrought the party together. Ramsay, pale and faint, was stretched uponthe grass of the forest, his bosom streaming forth a current of blood.In an instant Butler was seen stooping over him.

  "Oh, this is a heavy ransom, for my deliverance!" he said with thedeepest anguish, as he raised the trooper's head and laid it on his lap,whilst the blood flowed from the wound. "Speak, dear friend, speak!Great God, I fear this blow is mortal! Some water, if it can befound--look for it, Winter; he has fainted from loss of blood."

  Whilst Harry Winter went in search of the necessary refreshment, Butlertore his cravat from his neck and applied it to staunch the wound. Theadministration of a slight draught of water, after a short interval,sufficiently revived the disabled soldier to enable him to speak. Heturned his sickly and almost quenched eye to Butler, as he said:

  "I was foolish to follow so far. I have it here--here," he added in afeeble voice, as he put his hand upon his breast, "and it has done mywork. I fought for you, major, because I was proud to fight for afriend; and because"--here his voice failed him, as for a moment heclosed his eyes and faintly uttered--"it is all over--I am dying."

  "Nay, good John," said Butler, whilst the tears ran down his cheeks; "itis not so bad as that--you are weak from bleeding--you will be betterpresently. Oh God! oh God!" he muttered to himself, "I would not havehad this to save my own life, much less as the price of my liberty!"

  "I fought for you," said the wounded man, again reviving, "because Marywished it. This will kill Mary," he added after a pause. "She warned menot to be rash, but I could not help it. Be kind to her, Major Butler,and take care of her. Tell her I did not fear to die; but for her sake,and for the sake of my poor mother. Go to my parents; let them know Ithought of them in my last thoughts."

  "John! John!" exclaimed Butler, unable to give further utterance to hisfeelings.

  The dying trooper lay for some moments silent, and his comrades stoodaround him in mute grief, and hung their heads to conceal their emotionsfrom each other.

  "In my pocket," said Ramsay, "is a Testament. Mary gave it to me for akeepsake. Take it out."

  Butler drew forth the small volume.

  "What shall I do with it?" he asked, in a mournful whisper.

  "Give it to Mary, back from me. And this plait of her hair upon mywrist, major, take it and wear it on your own; it will remind you of myMary--you will guard her from harm."

  "Before God, John Ramsay," said Butler with solemn fervor, "I promiseyou, that, while I live, she shall not want. Your parents, too, shall bemy special care."

  "Then I shall die with easier heart. Thanks, thanks--friends, farewell!"feebly ejaculated the stricken soldier, whose eye, already glazed withthe pangs of death, now glanced upon the attending group, and after abrief but painful interval closed in darkness.

  John Ramsay spake no more, and his short breathing showed that life wasfast ebbing in its channel. The audible sobs of Butler, for somemoments, were alone heard in the circle, as he sat supporting the headand grasping the hand of his brave comrade. The struggle was at lastover, and the gallant spirit of the generous soldier had fled. Butlertook from the wrist the bracelet of Mary's hair, which was now stainedwith the bl
ood of its late owner, and with an earnest vow to redeem hispromise, drew it over his own hand.

  The scene that followed this melancholy adventure was one of solemninterest. The proximity of the enemy, although defeated, rendered adelay at this spot, in the present circumstances of Butler, exceedinglyhazardous; yet he could not entertain the thought of continuing hisjourney until he had communicated to David Ramsay the distressingtidings of his son's death. The last request of John seemed also toimpose this task upon him as a sacred obligation, due to the friendshipwhich had terminated in so disastrous an end. Butler's resolution,therefore, was soon taken. He determined immediately, at all hazards, tomake his way back to Ramsay's cottage, and to endeavor to console theafflicted parents under their severe bereavement. Disdaining, in hispresent state of feeling, the disguise that seemed to make him almost astranger to himself, he threw aside the miller's dress and againappeared in his true character, resolved manfully to meet what he nowbelieved to be the almost certain result--a recapture with all itsprobable consequences. Some of his party, who were acquainted with thelocalities of their present position, suggested to him that a Whigfamily of the name of Drummond resided at no great distance from thescene of the late encounter, and that, by bearing the body to thisplace, they might secure for it a decent burial. The remains of thetrooper were accordingly laid upon a rude litter, and his mourningcomrades slowly and sorrowfully wended their way through the forest tothe designated habitation. Here they arrived about noon, havingtraversed a space of more than two miles to gain this asylum.

  Drummond was a woodman, and occupied a rude cabin, with a small clearingaround it, in the depths of the wilderness, so remote from the highwayas to promise as much security from the quest of the enemy, as might beexpected from any portion of the region in which he lived. He receivedhis guests with kindness; and as he was himself acquainted with thefamily of the deceased, he exhibited a lively sympathy with the mournersaround the body.

  When Butler now made known his purpose to set out immediately for thehabitation of David Ramsay, Winter asked permission to accompany him,but the woodman interposed, and recommended that he alone should bepermitted to perform that errand, leaving the others to remain with thecorpse until his return.

  "It is, before all others, my duty," said Butler; "and come what may, Iwill perform it."

  "Then we will go together," added the proprietor of the cabin. "It willbe wise to wait until the day is a little more spent, and return in thedarkness of the night. David Ramsay will come back with us. He wouldlike to see his son before we put him in the ground."

  "That shall be as you please, friend," said Butler. "I will be underyour guidance."

  An hour or two before sundown, Butler and his new companion left thecabin, and took their route across the woods towards Ramsay's dwelling,leaving the dead body in charge of the woodman's family and the threesoldiers. The distance they had to travel did not exceed eight miles.The repulse of the Tory party in the skirmish of the morning seemed tohave induced a belief, on the part of the enemy, that the fugitives hadmade a successful retreat which was now beyond pursuit, and there were,in consequence, no parties on the road to molest the travellers. Underthese circumstances, it was still daylight when they came in view ofDavid Ramsay's homestead.