"Now if you ask who gave the stroke
I cannot tell, so mote I thrive;
It was not given by man alive."--_Lay of the last Minstrel._
It was a little before daybreak on Sunday morning, the fifteenth of
August (a day rendered memorable by the exploit of Sumpter, who
captured, in the vicinity of Rocky Mount, a large quantity of military
stores, and a numerous escort, then on their way from Ninety-Six to
Camden), that James Curry was travelling in the neighborhood of the
Ennoree, some four miles distant from Musgrove's mill. He had a few
hours before left the garrison of Ninety-Six, and was now hieing with
all haste to Blackstock's on a mission of importance. The night had been
sultry, but the approach of the dawn had brought with it that refreshing
coolness which is always to be remarked in the half hour that precedes
the first blush of morning. The dragoon had had a weary night-ride, but
the recent change of temperature had invigorated his system and given
buoyancy to his spirits. This effect was exhibited in his first
whistling a tune, then humming the words of a ditty, and, finally, in
breaking forth into a loud full song, which, as he had a good voice and
practised skill, increased in loudness as he became better pleased with
the trial of his powers. The song was occasionally intermitted to give
room to certain self-communings which the pastime suggested.
"You may take it for sooth, that wit without gold,"
he sang in the loudest strain, trying the words on different keys, and
introducing some variations in the tune--
"Will make a bad market whenever 'tis sold."
"That's true; your poor moneyless devil, how should his wit pass
current? He was a shrewd fellow that wrote it down. Your rich man for
wit, all the world over, and so the song runs:--
"'But all over the world it is well understood
That the joke of a rich man is sure to be good.'
"True, true as gospel! Give the knaves dinners, plenty of Burgundy and
Port, and what signifies an empty head? Go to college, and how is it
there? What is a sizer's joke? If the fellow have the wit of Diogenes,
it is sheer impertinence. But let my young lord Croesus come out with
his flatulent nonsense, oh, that's the true ware for the market! James
Curry, James Curry, what ought you to have been, if the supple jade
fortune had done your deserts justice! Instead of a d----d dodging
dragoon, obedient to the beck of every puppy who wears his majesty's
epaulets; but it's no matter, that's past; the wheel has made its turn,
and here I am, doing the work of the scullion, that ought to sit above
the salt-cellar. Vogue la galere! We will play out the play. Meantime,
I'll be merry in spite of the horoscope: come then, I like these words
and the jolly knave, whoever he was, that penned them.
"'You may take it for sooth that wit without gold.'"
The singer was, at this instant, arrested at the top of his voice by a
blow against the back of his head, bestowed, apparently, by some
ponderous hand, that so effectually swayed him from the line of gravity,
as to cause him to reel in his saddle, and, by an irrecoverable impetus,
to swing round to the ground, where he alighted on his back, with the
reins of his horse firmly held in his hand.
"Singing on Sunday is against the law," said a hoarse voice, that came
apparently from the air, as the darkness of the hour--which was
increased by an overcast and lowering sky, as well as by the thick wood
through which the road ran, prevented the stricken man from discerning
anything that might have done him harm, even if such thing had been
bodily present. The soldier lay for a moment prostrate, bewildered by
the suddenness of this mysterious visitation; and when, at length, he
regained his feet, he almost fancied that he heard receding from him,
at a great distance, the dull beat of a horse's foot upon the sandy
road.
Curry, who as a soldier was insensible to fear, now shook in every
joint, as he stood beside his horse in a state of confused and ravelled
wonderment. He strained his ear to catch the sound in the direction
towards which he thought he had heard the retreating footsteps, but his
more deliberate attention persuaded him that he was mistaken in his
first impression. Still more puzzled as he came into the possession of
his faculties, of which the abruptness of the surprise had almost bereft
him, he stood for some time mute; then drawing his sword with the
alacrity of a man, who all at once believes himself in danger of an
uplifted blow, he called out loudly,
"Speak, and show yourself, if you be a man! Or if there be a party, let
them come forth. Who waylays me? Remember, I warn him, in the name of
the king, that I am on his majesty's errand, and that they are not far
off who will punish any outrage on my person. By all the powers of
Satan, the place is bewitched!" he exclaimed, after a pause. "Once more,
speak; whether you are to be conjured in the name of the king or of the
devil!"
All remained silent, except the leaves of the forest that fluttered in
the breeze; and it was with an awkward and unacknowledged sense of
faint-heartedness that Curry put up his sword and remounted into his
saddle. He first moved slowly forward in continuation of his journey;
and, as his thoughts still ran upon the extraordinary incident, he
applied spurs to his horse's side, and gradually increased his pace from
a trot to a gallop, and from that to almost high speed, until he emerged
from the wood upon a track of open country. When he reached this spot
the day had already appeared above the eastern horizon; and reassured,
as the light waxed stronger, the dragoon, by degrees, fell into his
customary travelling pace, and resumed the equanimity of his temper.
About ten o'clock in the day he reached Blackstock's, where he arrived
in a heavy rain, that had been falling for the last three hours, and
which had drenched him to the skin. So, rapidly dismounting and giving
his horse into the charge of some of the idlers about the door, he
entered the common room in which were assembled the greater part of the
militia guard and of Habershaw's troopers. His first movement was to
take the burly captain aside, and to communicate to him certain orders
from the commanding officer at Ninety-Six, respecting the prisoner;
which being done, he mingled with his usual affectedly careless and
mirthful manner amongst the throng.
Butler, through the intercession of Bruce, had been indulged with some
mitigation of the restraints at first imposed upon him; and he was, at
this moment, availing himself of the privilege that had been allowed
him, on account of the leaky condition of the barn in which he had spent
the night, to take his morning meal inside of the dwelling-house. He was
accordingly seated at a table, in a corner of the room, with some
eatables before him in a more comfortable state of preparation than he
had hitherto enjoyed. Two soldiers stood sufficiently near to render his
custody effectual without much personal annoyance. As yet he had been
unable to glean anything from the conversation of those around him, by
which he might form the least conjecture as to his probable destiny. His
intercourse with his captors was restricted to the mere supply of his
immediate wants. All other communication was strictly interdicted. Even
Habershaw himself seemed to be under some authoritative command, to deny
himself the gratification of either exhibiting his own importance, or of
wreaking his spleen upon his prisoner; and when Butler attempted to gain
from Bruce some hint as to what was intended, the only answer he
received was conveyed by the soldier's putting his finger on his lip.
Butler knew enough of Robinson's hardihood and venturesome disposition,
to feel perfectly confident that he would make good his promise to be
near him, at whatever personal hazard; and he was, therefore, in
momentary expectation of receiving further intelligence from the
sergeant in some of those strange, bold, and perilous forms of
communication, which the character of the trusty soldier warranted him
in counting upon. His knowledge that Robinson had passed by Blackstock's
on the day preceding, gave him some assurance that the sergeant was in
the diligent prosecution of his purpose to seek Sumpter, or some other
of the partisan Whig corps in their hiding-places, and to try the
hazardous experiment of his (Butler's) rescue from his present thraldom,
by a vigorous incursion into the district where he was now confined.
With this calculation of the course of events, he was prepared to hear,
at every hour of the day, of some sudden alarm; and ready to co-operate,
by seizing the first moment of confusion to snatch up a weapon, and
force his way through the ranks of his guard. It was with such
anticipations that now, whilst seemingly engrossed with the satisfaction
of his physical wants at the table, he lent an attentive ear to the
conversation which passed in the house between Curry and the company who
were clustered around him. The dragoon, at first, in a light and merry
vein of narrative, recounted to his hearers the singular visitation he
had experienced before daybreak; and he contrived to fling over his
story an additional hue of mystery, by the occasional reflections with
which he seasoned it, tending to inculcate the belief to which he
himself partly inclined, that the incident was brought about through the
agency of some pranking and mischievous spirit,--a conclusion which, at
that period, and amongst the persons to whom the adventure was related,
did not require any great stretch of faith to sustain it. Some of his
auditors fortified this prevailing inclination of opinion, by expressing
their own conviction of the interference of malignant and supernatural
influences in the concerns of mankind, and gave their personal
experience of instances in which these powers were active. The
conversation by degrees changed its tone from that of levity and
laughter into one of grave and somewhat fearful interest, according to
the increasing marvel which the several stories that were told excited
in the superstitious minds of the circle; and in the same proportion
that this sentiment took possession of the thoughts of the company, they
became more unreserved in their language, and louder in the utterance of
it, thus giving Butler the full benefit of all that was said.
"But, after all," said one of the men, "mightn't you have been asleep on
your horse, James Curry, and had a sort of jogging dream, when a limb of
a tree across the road, for it was a dark morning, might have caught you
under the throat and flung you out of your saddle: and you, not knowing
whether you was asleep or awake, for a man who is on duty, without his
night's rest, sometimes can't tell the difference, thought it was some
hobgoblin business?"
"No," said Curry, "that's impossible; for I was singing a song at the
time, and almost at the top of my voice. I had been sleepy enough before
that, just after I left Ninety-Six, near midnight, for I had ridden a
long way; but as it grew towards daylight I began to rouse up, so that
when this thing happened I was as much awake as I am now."
"Then it's a downright case of ghost," said the other. "It knew you was
upon a wicked errand, and so that back-handed blow was a warning to you.
These things are sometimes meant to be friendly; and who knows but this
oversetting you in the road might have been intended to signify that you
had better not meddle in cases of life and death. If you would take my
advice, you would just treat this Major Butler, that you took
prisoner"--
Curry looked at the speaker with a frown, as he made a motion to him to
be silent. "Remember where you are, and who may hear you," he said in a
cautious voice, as he glanced his eye towards Butler, who was leaning
his head upon the table, as if in slumber.
"Oh, I understand," replied the soldier of the guard. "I forgot he was
in the room."
"The weather holds up," said Habershaw, who now walked into the house.
"The rain has slackened; and so, orderly, if you have had a bite of
something to eat, the boys had better be got ready to march. We have a
long way to go, and as the infantry march with us we shall get on
slowly."
"I think so, noble Captain," replied Curry. "I shall be ready to join
you before you get your line formed."
Orders were now issued by Habershaw, both to the troopers of his own
squad and to the militia detachment, to put themselves in condition for
an immediate movement. The clouds, during the last half hour, had been
breaking away, and the sun soon burst forth upon the wet and glittering
landscape, in all the effulgence of mid summer. During a brief interval
of preparation the party of infantry and cavalry that now occupied the
hamlet exhibited the bustle incident to the gathering of the corps. Some
ran to one quarter for their arms, others to the stables for their
horses; a cracked trumpet in the hands of a lusty performer, who here
joined the troop, kept up a continual braying, and was seconded by the
ceaseless beat of a slack and dull drum. There were some who, having put
on their military equipments, thronged the table of the common room of
the house, where spirits and water had been set out for their
accommodation, and rude jokes, laughter, and oaths, were mingled
together in deafening clamor.
"Move out the prisoner," shouted Habershaw; "he goes with the infantry
afoot. I'll never trust another of the tribe with a horse."
"Follow, sir," said one of the sentinels near Butler's person, as he
faced to the right with his musket at an "advance," and led the way to
the door.
Butler rose, and, before he placed himself in the position required,
asked:
"Where is it you purpose to conduct me?"
"Silence!" said Habershaw sternly. "Obey orders, sir, and march where
you are directed."
Butler folded his arms and looked scornfully at the uncouth savage
before him as he replied:
"I am a prisoner, sir, and therefore bound to submit to the force that
constrains me. But there will be a day of reckoning, both for you and
your master. It will not be the lighter to him for having hired such a
ruffian to do the business in which he is ashamed to appear himself."
"Devil's leavings!" screamed Habershaw, almost choked with choler, "dare
you speak to me so? By my heart, I have a mind to cleave your skull for
you! My master, sir! You will find out, before long, who is master, when
Hugh Habershaw has tied the knot that is to fit your neck."
"Peace, villain!" exclaimed Butler; "I cannot come too soon into the
presence of those who claim to direct your motions."
Here James Curry interposed to draw off the incensed captain, and
Butler, having received another order from the officer of the guard,
moved out upon the road and took the place that was assigned him,
between two platoons of the foot soldiers.
The troopers being mounted and formed into column of march with
Habershaw and his trumpeter at the head and Curry in the rear, now moved
forward at a slow gait, followed by the detachment of infantry who had
the prisoner under their especial charge.
It was near noon when the party took up the line of march, and they
prosecuted their journey southward with such expedition as to tax
Butler's powers to the utmost to keep even pace with them over roads
that were in many places rendered miry by the late rain. Towards
evening, however, the sun had sufficiently dried the soil to make the
travel less fatiguing; and by that hour when the light of day only
lingered upon the tops of the western hills, the military escort, with
their prisoner, were seen passing through a defile that opened upon
their view an extensive bivouac of some two or three hundred horse and
foot, and occupying a space of open field, encompassed with wood and
guarded in its rear by a smooth and gentle river.
The spot at which they had arrived was the camp of a partisan corps
under the command of Colonel Innis. A farm-house was seen in the
immediate neighborhood, which was used as the head-quarters of a party
of officers. Numerous horses were attached to the trees that bounded the
plain, and various shelters were made in the same quarter, in the rudest
form of accommodation, of branches and underwood set against
ridge-poles, that were sustained by stakes, to protect the men against
the weather. Groups of this irregular soldiery were scattered over the
plain, a few wagons were seen collected in one direction, and, not far
off, a line of fires, around which parties were engaged in cooking food.
Here and there a sentinel was seen pacing his short limits, and
occasionally the roll of a drum and the flourish of a fife announced
some ceremony of the camp police.
The escort marched quickly across this plain until it arrived in front
of the farm-house. Here a guard was drawn up to receive them; and, as
soon as the usual military salute was passed and the order to "stand at
ease" given, Habershaw put the detachment under the command of the
lieutenant of infantry, and, accompanied by Curry, walked into the house
to make his report to the commanding officer of the post.
In a few moments afterwards Colonel Innis, attended by two or three
military men--some of whom wore the uniform of the British regular
army--came from the house and passed hastily along the line of the
escort, surveying Butler only with a rapid glance. Having regained the
door, he was heard to say--
"It is very well; let the prisoner have a room above stairs. See that he
wants nothing proper to his situation; and, above all, be attentive that
he be kept scrupulously under the eye of his guard."
When this order was given, the Colonel retired with his attendants to
his quarters, and Butler was forthwith conducted, by a file of men, up a
narrow, winding stair, to a small apartment in the angle of the roof,
where he was provided with a chair, a light, and a comfortable bed. His
door was left open, and on the outside of it, full in his view, was
posted a sentinel. He was too weary even to be troubled with the cares
of his present condition; and, without waiting, therefore, for food, or
seeking to inquire into whose hands he had fallen, or even to turn his
thoughts upon the mysterious train of circumstances that hung over him,
he flung himself upon the couch and sank into a profound and grateful
sleep.