"That half a dozen d--n-d young rebels," they said, "should thus dash in

among us in open daylight, and fall to cutting and slashing the king's troops



at this rate. And after all, to gallop away without the least harm

in hair or hide. 'Tis high time to turn our bayonets into pitch forks,



and go to foddering the cows."

Chapter 20.



History of captain Snipes -- wantondestruction of his property

by the tories -- his own miraculous escape -- admirable fidelity



of his negro driver Cudjo.

Captain Snipes, who made such a figure in the wars of Marion,



was a Carolinian, of uncommon strength and courage; both of which he exerted

with great good will, against the British and tories; from principle partly,



and partly from revenge. But though a choice soldier, he was no philosopher.

He did not consider that to fight for duty, people must love it;



that to love it, they must understand it; that to understand it,

they must possess letters and religion: that the British and tories,



poor fellows! possessing neither of these, were not to have been expected

to act any other than the savage and thievish part they did act;



and therefore, no more to be hated for it than the cats are

for teasing the canary birds.



But captain Snipes had no turn for investigations of this sort.

Knowledge, by intuition, was all that he cared for; and having it,



by instinct, that an "Englishman ought never to fight against liberty,"

nor an "American against his own country," he looked on them,



to use his own phrase, as a "pack of d--n-d rascals,

whom it was doing God service to kill wherever he could find them."



But Snipes was not the aggressor. He kept in, very decently,

till the enemy began to let out, as they did, in plundering, burning,



and hanging the poor whigs; and then, indeed, like a consuming fire,

his smothered hate broke forth:



"That hate which hurled to Pluto's gloomy reign

The souls of royal slaves untimely slain."



Afraid, in fair fight, to meet that sword which had so often

shivered their friends, they determined to take him as the Philistines



did Samson, by surprise; and having learned from their spies,

that he was at home, they came upon him in force about midnight.



His complete destruction, both of life and property, was their horrid aim.

Happily, his driver, or black overseer, overheard their approach;



and flying to his master with terror-struck looks, cries out

"Run! run! massa, run! de enemy 'pon you."



Snipes, stark naked, save his shirt, darted out as swift as his legs

could carry him.



"But where shall I run, Cudjo? into the barn?"

"Oh no, massa! dey burn de barn, dat sure ting!"



"Well, where shall I run then?"

"Take de bush massa! take de briar bush."



Within fifty yards of the house was a clump of briers, so thick set,

that one would have thought a frightened cat would scarcely



have squeezed herself into it from the hot pursuing dogs.

But what will not fear enable a man to do? Captain Snipes,



big as he was, slipped into it with the facility of a weasel through

the chinks of a chicken-coop; but lost every thread and thrumb of his shirt;



and moreover, got his hide so scratched and torn by the briers,

that the blood trickled from him fast as gravy from a fat green goose.



Scarcely had he gained his hiding-place, before the tories, with horrid oaths,

burst into his house, with their guns cocked, ready to shoot him.



But oh! death to their hopes! he was gone: the nest was there, and warm,

but the bird was flown!



Then seizing poor Cudjo by the throat, they bawled out: "You d----d rascal,

where's your master?"



He told them he did not know.

"You lie! you black son of a b-t-h! you lie."



But he still asserted he knew nothing of his master.

Suspecting that he must be in some one or other of his buildings,



they set fire to them all; to his dwelling house, his kitchen, his stables,

and even his negro cabins, watching all the while, with their muskets ready



to shoot him as he ran out. From their nearness to his lurking place,

the heat of his burning houses was so intense as to parch his skin



into blisters. But it was death to stir, for he would certainly

have been seen.



Not having made the discovery they so much wished, they again seized Cudjo;

and, with their cocked pieces at his breast, swore if he did not instantly



tell them where his master was, they would put him to death.

He still declared he did not know where he was.

• extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)


• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)


• endure [in´djuə] vt.忍耐，忍受；坚持 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• retreat [ri´tri:t] v.&n.退却；撤退；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• commander [kə´mɑ:ndə] n.指挥员，司令员 (初中英语单词)


• victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• consequence [´kɔnsikwəns] n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词)


• drunken [´drʌŋkən] a.喝醉的；常醉的 (初中英语单词)


• philosophy [fi´lɔsəfi] n.哲学；人生观 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• tragedy [´trædʒidi] n.悲剧；惨案；灾难 (初中英语单词)


• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)


• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)


• neighborhood [´neibəhud] n.邻居；邻近；附近 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• daylight [´deilait] n.日光；黎明 (初中英语单词)


• gallop [´gæləp] n.&v.奔驰；急速行进 (初中英语单词)


• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)


• partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)


• revenge [ri´vendʒ] vt.报复 n.报仇；报复 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• instinct [´instiŋkt] n.本能；直觉；天资 (初中英语单词)


• phrase [freiz] n.短语；词组；措词 (初中英语单词)


• wherever [weər´evə] conj.无论在哪里 (初中英语单词)


• enable [i´neibəl] vt.使能够；赋予权力 (初中英语单词)


• facility [fə´siliti] n.容易；熟练；灵巧 (初中英语单词)


• moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)


• endurance [in´djuərəns] n.忍受(耐)；耐力 (高中英语单词)


• repose [ri´pəuz] v.&n.(使)休息；安息 (高中英语单词)


• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)


• vainly [´veinli] ad.虚荣地；自负地 (高中英语单词)


• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)


• lighten [´laitn] v.减轻；点亮；启发 (高中英语单词)


• gallon [´gælən] n.加伦 (高中英语单词)


• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)


• fortunately [´fɔ:tʃənətli] ad.幸运地 (高中英语单词)


• joyful [´dʒɔifəl] a.高兴的，充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)


• indifferent [in´difrənt] a.不关心的；中立的 (高中英语单词)


• sergeant [´sɑ:dʒənt] n.警官；军士 (高中英语单词)


• stroll [strəul] n.&v.漫步；散步；游荡 (高中英语单词)


• plague [pleig] n.瘟疫 vt.使…染疫 (高中英语单词)


• garrison [´gærisən] n.警备队 vt.驻防 (高中英语单词)


• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)


• admirable [´ædmərəbəl] a.极佳的，值得赞美的 (高中英语单词)


• hanging [´hæŋiŋ] n.绞刑 a.悬挂着的 (高中英语单词)


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)


• intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)


• morsel [´mɔ:səl] n.佳肴 vt.少量地分配 (英语四级单词)


• verily [´verili] ad.真实的；肯定地 (英语四级单词)


• brandy [´brændi] n.白兰地酒 (英语四级单词)


• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)


• recollect [rekə´lekt] v.重新集合；恢复 (英语四级单词)


• briskly [´briskli] ad.轻快地；活泼地 (英语四级单词)


• drawing [´drɔ:iŋ] n.画图；制图；图样 (英语四级单词)


• scamper [´skæmpə] vi.浏览；涉猎 n.蹦跳 (英语四级单词)


• wanton [´wɔntən, ´wɑ:n-] a.顽皮的 n.&vi.荡妇 (英语四级单词)


• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)


• canary [kə´neəri] n.金丝雀 (英语四级单词)


• weasel [´wi:zəl] n.黄鼠狼；狡猾的人 (英语四级单词)


• doleful [´dəulful] a.悲哀的；忧郁的 (英语六级单词)


• chastise [tʃæs´taiz] vt.惩；严惩；责打 (英语六级单词)


• madman [´mædmən] n.疯子；狂人 (英语六级单词)


• bloodshed [´blʌdʃed] n.流血；杀人 (英语六级单词)


• prance [prɑ:ns] v.欢跃 n.腾(欢)跃 (英语六级单词)


• greasy [´gri:si] a.油腻的；润滑的 (英语六级单词)


• miraculous [mi´rækjuləs] a.非凡的；奇迹般的 (英语六级单词)


• untimely [ʌn´taimli] a.&ad.不合时宜的(地) (英语六级单词)