Horse-Shoe Robinson: A Tale of the Tory Ascendency

by John Pendleton Kennedy

  CHAPTER LI.

  MILDRED TURNS HER STEPS HOMEWARDS.

  I have seen a generous and brave boy defied to some enterprise ofterror,--such as, peradventure, to clamber in the dark night, alone, upmany a winding bout of stair-case to the garret,--and he has undertakenthe achievement, although sore afraid of goblins, and gone forth uponhis adventure with a lusty step and with a bold tardiness, whistling orsinging on his way--his eyes and ears all the time fearfully open to allhousehold sights and sounds, now magnified out of their naturalproportions; and when he had reached the furthest term of his travel, Ihave known him to turn quickly about and come down three steps at aleap, feeling all the way as if some spectre tracked his flight and hungupon his rear. Calling up such a venture to my mind, I am enabled, bycomparison with the speed and anxiety of the boy, to show my reader withwhat emotions Mildred, her mission being done, now turned herself uponher homeward route. The excitement occasioned by her knowledge of thecritical circumstances of Butler, and the pain she had suffered in thebelief that upon the courageous performance of her duty depended evenhis life, had nerved her resolution to the perilous and hardy exploit inwhich we have seen her. But now, when matters had taken such a suddenlyauspicious turn, and she was assured of her lover's safety, not even theabrupt joy which poured in upon her heart was sufficient to stifle hersense of uneasiness at her present exposed condition, and she eagerlyprepared to betake herself back to the Dove Cote.

  The scenes around her had wrought upon her nerves; and, although she wassingularly fortunate in the courtesy which she had experienced from allinto whose hands she had fallen, yet the rude licentiousness of thecamp, and the revolting acts of barbarity which were ever present to herobservation, appalled and distressed her. Besides, she now saw thefixed purpose with which Cornwallis was preparing to march forward inhis course of invasion, and thought with alarm upon the probable eventof soon having the theatre of war transferred to the neighborhood of hernative woods.

  Robinson's advice seconded her own alacrity. It was to hasten, with alldespatch, in advance of the invading army; and as this body was nowabout taking up its line of march, no time was to be lost. Accordingly,but a brief delay took place after Cornwallis and his suite had departedfrom head-quarters, before our party set forward, accompanied by thesmall guard of cavalry that had been ordered to attend them. The troopswere just wheeling into column on the ground where they had been latelyreviewed, when Mildred and her attendants galloped past, and took thehigh road leading to the town of Charlotte, in North Carolina, towardswhich it was understood the invaders were about to direct their journey.In less than an hour afterwards they had left behind them the line ofbaggage wagons and the small military parties of the vanguard, and foundthemselves rapidly hastening towards a district occupied by the friendsof independence.

  The sergeant had now occasion for his utmost circumspection. In pursuingthe destined route of the invasion, he had reason to expect an earlyencounter with some of the many corps of observation, which the oppositeparty were certain to put upon the duty of reporting the approach oftheir enemy. And so it fell out; for, towards the middle of the day,whilst the travellers were quietly plying their journey through theforest, the discharge of a pistol announced the presence of a hostilebody of men; and almost instantly afterwards a small handful of Whigcavalry were seen hovering upon the road, at the distance of some threeor four hundred paces in front. Robinson no sooner recognised this squadthan he took the lady's handkerchief and hoisted it on a rod, as a flagof truce, and, at the same moment, directed the escort to retreat,apprising them that their presence was no longer necessary, as he hadnow an opportunity to deliver his charge into the hands of friends. TheBritish horsemen, accordingly, took their leave; and, in the nextmoment, Horse Shoe surrendered to a patrole, who announced themselves tobe a part of the command of Colonel Davie, of the North Carolinamilitia--a gallant partisan, then well known to fame, and whose afterexploits fill up no inconsiderable page of American history.

  It does not enter into the purpose of my story to detain my reader witha minute account of Mildred's homeward journey; but having nowtransferred her to the protection of a friendly banner, it will sufficeto say that she arrived the same evening at Charlotte, where she spentthe night in the midst of the active, warlike preparations which were inprogress to receive Cornwallis.

  It was towards sunset on the following day, when, wearied with the toilof a long and rapid journey, our travellers arrived in front of aretired farm-house, on the road leading through the upper districts ofNorth Carolina. The cultivation around this dwelling showed both goodhusbandry and a good soil, and there was an appearance of comfort andrepose which was an unusual sight in a country so much alarmed andravaged by war, as that over which the wayfarers had lately journeyed.The house stood some short distance apart from the road, and in theporch was seated an elderly man of a respectable appearance, to whom ayoung girl was, at this moment, administering a draught of water from asmall, hooped, wooden vessel which she held in her hand.

  "I am parched with thirst," said Mildred, "pray get me some of thatwater."

  "The place looks so well, ma'am," replied the sergeant, "that I think wecould not do better than make a stop here for the night. Good day,neighbor! What is the name of the river I see across yon field, andwhere mought we be, just at this time?"

  "It is the Yadkin," answered the man, "and this county, I believe, isIredell--though I speak only by guess, for I am but a stranger in theseparts."

  "The lady would be obligated," said Horse Shoe, "for a drop of thatwater; and, if it was agreeable, she mought likewise be pleased to putup here for the night."

  "The people of the house are kind and worthy," replied the old man, "andnot likely to refuse a favor. Mary, take a cup to the lady."

  The girl obeyed; and, coming up to the party with the vessel in herhand, she suddenly started as her eye fell upon Horse Shoe, and her paleand wan countenance was seen bathed in tears.

  "Mr. Robinson!" she exclaimed, with a faltering voice; "you don't knowme?--me, Mary Musgrove. Father, it is our friend, Horse Shoe Robinson!"Then placing the vessel upon the ground, she ran to the sergeant's side,as he sat upon his horse, and leaning her head against his saddle, shewept bitterly, sobbing out: "It is me, Mary Musgrove. John--ourJohn--that you loved--he is dead--he is dead!"

  In an instant Allen Musgrove was at the gate, where he greeted thesergeant with the affection of an old friend.

  This recognition of the miller and his daughter at once confirmed thesergeant in his determination to end his day's journey at this spot. Ina few moments Mildred and her companions were introduced into thefarm-house, where they were heartily welcomed by the in-dwellers,consisting of a sturdy, cheerful tiller of the soil, and a motherlydame, whose brood of children around her showed her to be the mistressof the family.

  The scene that ensued after the party were seated in the house was, forsome time, painfully affecting. Poor Mary, overcome by the associationscalled up to her mind at the sight of the sergeant, took a seat nearhim, and silently gazed in his face, visibly laboring under a strongdesire to express her feelings in words, but at the same time strickenmute by the intensity of her emotions.

  After a long suspense, which was broken only by her sobs, she wasenabled to utter a few disjointed sentences, in which she recalled tothe sergeant the friendship that had existed between him and JohnRamsay; and there was something peculiarly touching in the melancholytone with which, in accordance with the habits inculcated by herreligious education, and most probably in the words of her father'sfrequent admonitions, she attributed the calamity that had befallen herto the kindly chastisement of heaven, to endure which she devoutly, andwith a sigh that showed the bitterness of her suffering, prayed forpatience and submission. Allen Musgrove, at this juncture, interposedwith some topics of consolation suitable to the complexion of themaiden's mind, and soon succeeded in drying up her tears, and restoringher, at least, to the possession of a tranquil and apparently a resigned
spirit.

  When this was done, he gave a narrative of the events relating to theescape of Butler and his subsequent recapture at the funeral of JohnRamsay, to which, it may be imagined, Mildred and Henry listened withthe most absorbed attention.

  This tale of the recapture of Butler, so unexpected, and communicated ata moment when Mildred's heart beat high with the joyful hopes ofspeedily seeing her lover again in safety, now struck upon her ear withthe alarm that seizes upon a voyager who, fearing no hidden reef orunknown shoal, hears the keel of his ship in mid ocean crash against asolid rock. It seemed at once to break down the illusion which she hadcherished with such fond affection. For the remainder of the evening theintercourse of the party was anxious and thoughtful, and betrayed theunhappy impression which the intelligence just communicated had madeupon the feelings of Mildred and her brother. Musgrove, after thetravellers had been refreshed by food, and invigorated by the kind andhearty hospitality of the good man under whose roof they were sheltered,proceeded to give the sergeant a history of what had lately befallen inthe neighborhood of the Ennoree. Some days after the escape of Butler,the miller's own family had drawn upon themselves the odium of theruling authority. His mill and his habitation had been reduced to ashesby a party of Tories who had made an incursion into this district, withno other view than to wreak their vengeance against suspected persons.In the same inroad, the family of David Ramsay had once more beenassailed, and all that was spared from the first conflagration wasdestroyed in the second. Many other houses through this region had metthe same fate. The expedition had been conducted by Wemyss, who, it issaid, carried in his pocket a list of dwellings to which the torch wasto be applied, and who, on accomplishing each item of his diabolicalmission--so still runs the tradition--would note the consummated work bystriking out the memorandum from his tablets.

  In this general ravage, the desolated families fled like hunted gamethrough the woods, and betook themselves with a disordered haste to themore friendly provinces northward. Musgrove had sent his wife andyounger children, almost immediately after the assault upon him, to thecare of a relative in Virginia, whither they had been conducted somedays previous to the date of his present meeting with Horse Shoe byChristopher Shaw; whilst he and Mary had remained behind, for a shortspace, to render assistance to the family of Ramsay, to whom they feltthemselves affined almost as closely as if the expected alliance bymarriage had taken place. When this duty was discharged, and Ramsay'sfamily were provided with a place of refuge, Musgrove had set forwardwith his daughter to rejoin his wife and children in their new asylum.It was upon this journey that they had now been accidentally overtakenby our travellers.

  The disclosure of the motives of Mildred's expedition to Mary and herfather, as may be supposed, warmed up their feelings to a mostaffectionate sympathy in her troubles. They had often heard of Butler'sattachment to a lady in Virginia, and were aware of her name, from theincidents that had occurred at the trial of Butler, and from the natureof Horse Shoe's mission to Virginia. Mary had nursed in her mind afanciful and zealous interest in behalf of the lady who was supposed tohave engrossed Butler's affections, from the earnest devotion which shehad witnessed in his demeanor, first at Adair's, and often afterwardsduring his captivity. The effect of this preconceived favor now showeditself in her behavior to Mildred; and, in the gentle play which it gaveto her kindly sentiments, a most happy change was wrought in her presentfeelings. She at once warmly and fervently attached herself to Mildred,and won her way into our lady's esteem by the most amiable assiduities.In these offices of love, the poignancy of her own grief began to giveway to the natural sweetness of her temper, and they were observed, inthe same degree, to enliven Mildred's feelings. Mary hung fondly abouther new acquaintance, proffered her most minute attentions of comfort,spoke often of the generous qualities of Butler, and breathed many asincere prayer for future happiness to him and those he loved.

  As Mildred pondered over the new aspect which the tidings of thisevening had given to her condition, her inclination and duty bothprompted her to the resolve to make an effort to join Butler, instead ofreturning to the Dove Cote. She was apprised by Musgrove that theprisoner had been conducted to Ferguson, who, she was told, was at thistime stationed in the neighborhood of Gilbert-town, not a hundred milesfrom her present position. She had ventured far in his services, and shecould not, now that she had so nearly approached him, consent toabandon the effort of reaching the spot of his captivity. She thoughtwith alarm over the dangers that might await him in consequence of hisprevious escape, and this alarm was increased by her remembrance of thetone of bitter resentment with which Cornwallis, in a moment ofunguarded feeling, had referred to the event in her late conference withthat officer. Above all, it was her duty--such was her view of thematter--and whatever might befal, he was the lord of her heart, and alldangers and difficulties, now as heretofore, should be cast aside in herdetermination to administer to his safety or comfort. Her decision wasmade, and she so announced it to her companions.

  Neither the sergeant nor Henry made the opposition to this resolve thatmight have been expected. To Horse Shoe it was a matter of indifferenceupon what service he might be ordered; his thoughts ran in no othercurrent than to obey the order, and make the most thrifty and carefulprovision for its safe execution. To Henry that was always a pleasantsuggestion which was calculated to bring him more into the field ofadventure. Allen Musgrove, on this occasion, added an opinion whichrather favored the enterprise.

  "It was not much out of the way," he said, "to go as far as Burk CourtHouse, where, at least, the lady was likely to learn something of theplans of Ferguson, and she might either wait there, or take suchdirection afterwards as her friends should advise."

  Mary begged that whatever route Mildred thought proper to pursue, shemight be allowed to accompany her; and this request was so much to theliking of Mildred, that she earnestly implored the miller's consent tothe plan. With some reluctance Musgrove acquiesced; and, feeling thusdoubly interested in the fortunes of the party, he finally determinedhimself to attend them in their present enterprise.

  These matters being settled, the wearied travellers parted for thenight, happy, at least, in having found the weight of their personalafflictions relieved by the cheerfulness with which the burden wasdivided.