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The Life of General Francis Marion-Part27_M.L.Weems(1759-1825)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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Accordingly he fell asleep a second time; but had not long enjoyed

that sweetest of opiates, before Jonathan comes again, and awakes him



with the old story of his dream.

"Well, Jonathan," said Mr. Kinloch, very good-naturedly,



"if you are determined to turn me out of doors, I suppose I must go.

But where can I get to this time of night?"



"Why, sir," quoth Jonathan, "I'll get your horse and go with you

to the main road, sir, and from there, you can't miss your way



back to the house you came from this afternoon."

On Jonathan's return from the short distance he had conducted Mr. Kinloch,



he found the yard filled with the British light horse!

These dreams are droll things; but they sometimes come so well attested,



that there is no doubting them. He who made our frame,

can certainly speak to us as well asleep as awake; and the wise will feel



the importance of making a friend of Him, who can cause an airy dream

to defend us as effectually as a legion of angels.



The next night, just as we were about to encamp, we lighted on a negro fellow,

belonging to Mr. Joseph Alston, whom I quickly had by the heels,



lest he should give intelligence to the enemy. But, as the devil

would have it, just before day, the sergeant of the guard,



overcome by the negro's importunities, loosened him and let him go.

And, mark now, young officers, what comes from disobeying orders.



This villain of a blackamoor had not gone above three miles before

he fell in with the British, to whom, Judas-like, he betrayed us off hand!



and they as quickly took horse, and pushed on to surprise us.

By sunrise I had all my men mounted; captain Clarke leading the advance,



myself and captain Irvin bringing up the rest of the corps.

The British first discovered captain Clarke, which they did



in the way of a glimpse, through an opening in the woods;

then sounding their bugles, they rushed on to the charge.



Unfortunately, Clarke had not yet seen the enemy, and mistaking their bugles

for the huntsmen's horns, ordered a halt to see the deer go by.



But instead of a herd of flying deer, behold! a column of British cavalry

all at once bursting into the road, and shouting and rushing on



with drawn swords to the charge. In a moment, as if themselves

metamorphosed into deer, Clarke and his advance wheeled about,



and giving their horses "the timber",* flew back upon our main body,

roaring out as they came in sight -- "The British! the British!"



--

* This is a Carolina phrase for slashing. If a husband should



so far forget himself as to beat his wife! which, thank God,

is very rare, his neighbors, with great scorn, say of him



as he pokes his hated face along, Aye, that's the jockey

that gives his wife the timber.



--

Quick as thought my men caught the panic, and facing about,



took to their heels, and went off as if the d---l had been behind them.

I bawled after them as loud as I could roar, "Halt! Halt!"



but I might as well have bawled to the whirlwinds, for it appeared to me

the louder I bawled, the swifter the rascals flew. Whereupon I clapped spurs



to my young Janus, and went off after them at full stretch,

hoping to gain their front and so bring them to. Being mounted



on a young full-blooded charger, fresh and strong from the stable,

I bid fair to gain my point too, for I was coming up with them



hand over hand. -- But, in that very juncture of time,

as the Lord was pleased to order it, my girth gave way, my saddle turned,



and my charger fetching a ground start, threw me, saddle, holsters, and all,

full ten feet over his head, and then ran off. I received no harm,



God be praised for it, but recovering my legs in an instant,

bawled out again to my men to halt and form.



Happily for me, at the very moment of my disaster, the enemy,

suspecting our flight to be only a finesse, had halted,



while only sixteen dragoons under colonel Camp, continued the chase.

Scorning to fly from such a handful, some of my more resolute fellows,



thirteen in number, faced about, and very deliberatelytaking their aim

at the enemy as they came up, gave them a `spanker', which killed



upwards of half their number. The rest took to flight, leaving their colonel,

whose horse was slain, to shift for himself, which he quickly did



by running into the woods.

The British were so near us when they received the fire of my men,



that one of them, a stout fellow, as he wheeled to go off,

came so close to me, where I stood on the ground, that he was lifting



his broadsword for a back-handed stroke, which would probably have saved me

the trouble of writing this history, had I not, with one of my pistols,






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