of iron yokes, who, enjoying all the sweets of liberty,
in a land of milk and honey, can expose to foreign Philistines,

that blessed Canaan, unguarded by Military science. Surely those
who thus throw "their pearl before swine", richlydeserve that the beast

should turn again and trample THEM, and their treasures too, into the mire.
Yes, and had it not been for a better watch than our own,

at this day, like the wretched Irish, we should have been trampled
into the mire of slavery; groaning under heavy burdens

to enrich our task-masters; and doomed on every fruitless attempt at freedom,
to fatten the buzzards with our gibbeted carcasses.

For lack of this habitual military preparation on our part,
in a few days after the fall of Charleston, Col. Tarleton,

with only one hundred and fifty horse, galloped up to Georgetown,
through the most populous part of the state, with as much hauteur

as an overseer and his boys would gallop through a negro plantation!
To me this was the signal for clearing out. Accordingly,

though still in much pain from the rheumatism, I mounted my horse,
and with sword and pistol by my side, set out for the northward,

in quest of friendly powers to aid our fallen cause.
In passing through Georgetown, I saw a distant group of people,

to whom I rode up, and with great civility, as I thought,
asked the news. To which a young fellow very scornfully replied,

that "Colonel Tarleton was coming, and that the country, thank God,
would soon be cleared of the continentalcolonels."

I was within an ace of drawing a pistol and shooting the young slave dead
upon the spot. But God was pleased to give me patience to bear up

under that heavy cross; for which I have since very heartily thanked him
a thousand times and more. And indeed, on thinking over the matter,

it has often struck me, that the man who could speak in that way
to one who had on, as he saw, the American uniform, must be a savage,

and therefore not an object of anger, but of pity. But though my anger
was soon over, nothing could cure the melancholy into which this affair

threw me. To see my native country thus prostrate under foreign usurpers,
the generality quite disheartened, and the few, who dared to take her part,

thus publicly insulted, was a shock I was not prepared for,
and which, therefore, sunk my spirits to the lowest ebb of despondence.

Such was the frame of mind wherein I left my native state, and set out,
sick and alone, for the northward, with scarce a hope of ever seeing

better days. About the middle of the second day, as I beat my solitary road,
slowly winding through the silent, gloomy woods of North Carolina,

I discovered, just before me, a stranger and his servant.
Instantly my heart sprang afresh for the pleasures of society,

and quickening my pace, I soon overtook the gentleman, when lo!
who should it be but the man first of all in my wishes,

though the last in my expectations; who, I say, should it be but Marion!
Our mutual surprise was great. "Good heavens!" we both exclaimed

in the same moment, "Is that colonel Marion?" "Is that Horry?"
After the first transports of that joy, which those who have been long absent

from dear friends, can better conceive than I describe, we began to inquire
into each other's destinations, which was found to be the same;

both flying to the north for troops to fight the British.
We had not rode far when Marion, after looking up to the sun,

who was now past his half-way house, came suddenly to a halt, and said,
"Well, come Horry, I feel both peckish and weary, and here is a fine shade,

so let us go down and rest, and refresh ourselves a while."
Whereupon I dismounted; and with the help of his servant,

for his ankle was yet very crazy, got him down too.
Then, sitting side by side, on the trunk of a fallen pine,

we talked over the mournful state of our country; and came at last,
as we had always done, to this solemnconclusion, that we would stand by her

like true children, and either conquer or die with her.
After this, a piece of dried beef was paraded, from Marion's saddle-bags,

with a loaf of Indian bread and a bottle of brandy. The wealthy reader
may smile at this bill of fare; but to me it was a feast indeed. For joy,

like a cordial, had so raised my spirits, and reinvigorated my system,
that I fed like a thresher.

I shall never forget an expression which Marion let fall during our repast,
and which, as things have turned out, clearly shows

what an intimateacquaintance he had with human nature.
I happened to say that I was afraid "our happy days were all gone."

"Pshaw, Horry," he replied, "don't give way to such idle fears.
Our happy days are not all gone. On the contrary, the victory is still sure.

The enemy, it is true, have all the trumps in their hands,
and if they had but the spirit to play a generous game,

would certainly ruin us. But they have no idea of that game;
but will treat the people cruelly. And that one thing will ruin them,

and save America."
"I pray God," said I, "it may be so."

"Well, don't be afraid," replied he, "you will assuredly see it."
Having despatched our simple dinner, we mounted again and pursued our journey,

but with feelings so different from what I had before this meeting,
as made me more sensible than ever what a divine thing friendship is.

And well indeed it was for us that our hearts were so rich in friendship,
for our pockets were as bare of gold and silver as if there were

no such metals on earth. And but for carrying a knife, or a horse-fleam,
or a gun-flint, we had no more use for a pocket than a Highlander has

for a knee-buckle. As to hard money, we had not seen a dollar for years;
and of old continental, bad as it was, we had received but little,

and that little was gone away like a flash; as the reader may well suppose,
when he comes to learn, that a bottle of rum would sweep fifty dollars.

And so here were two continentalcolonels of us, just started
on a journey of several hundred miles, without a cent in pocket!

But though poor in gold, we were rich in faith. Burning patriots ourselves,
we had counted on it as a certainty, that every body we met,

out of reach of the British, were as fiery as we, and that
the first sight of our uniforms would command smiling countenances,

and hot suppers, and downy beds, and mint slings; and in short,
everything that our hearts could wish. But, alas and alack the mistake!

For instead of being smiled on every where along the road as the champions
of liberty, we were often grinned at as if we had been horse thieves.

In place of being hailed with benedictions, we were frequently
in danger from the brick bats; and in lieu of hot dinners and suppers,

we were actually on the point of starving, both we and our horses!
For in consequence of candidly telling the publicans that, "we had nothing

to pay," they as candidly declared, "they had nothing to give,"
and that "those that had no money had no business to travel."

At length we came to the resolution to say nothing about our poverty,
but, after getting such things as we wanted, to give our `due bills'.

In this we felt ourselves perfectly warranted; for we had, both of us,
thank God, very sufficient estates; and besides, turning out, as we did,

to fight for our country, we thought we had, even by sacred precept,
a very fair claim on that country for a little food.

I remember, one evening, after dark, we reached a tavern, the owner of which
at first seemed very fond of accommodating us. But as soon as

a lighted wood torch had given him a glimpse of our regimentals,
the rogue began to hem and ha, to tell us of a `mighty fine tavern'

about five miles further on.
We begged him to recollect that it was night, and also very rainy,

and as dark as pitch.
"Oh!" quoth he, "the road is mighty plain; you can't miss your way."

"But consider, sir, we are strangers."
"Oh! I never liked strangers in all my life."

"But, sir, we are your countrymen, American officers, going to the north
for men to fight your battles."

"Oh! I wants nobody to fight my battles; king George is good enough for me."
"But, sir, we have travelled all day long without a mouthful

for ourselves or horses."
To this also the brute was preparing some fit answer, when his wife,

who appeared to be a very genteel woman, with a couple of charming girls,
her daughters, ran out and declared that "take us in he could, and should,

that he should; and that he might as well consent at first,
for they would not be said nay."