With the Swamp Fox

began to build shelters for ourselves, each after his own liking, was that we could enjoy this respite from a roving life, where it was necessary to be constantly on the alert agai

d shot-pouch.Not until they were lost to view in the distance did either of us speak, and then it was Percy who said, much as if he had made an important discovery:"They are Tories, and searching for General Marion's encampment.""I allow all that to be true, lad, and now what may be our duty?" Gavin Witherspoon asked. [176]"To learn where they halt for the night, and then carry the information back to camp," my brother said heedlessly, for indeed that seemed to be the only course left for us."There is in my mind a better plan, lad, and, if it so be you two are willing to take the chances, I venture to predict we will carry yonder gentlemen before General Marion, instead of hastening ahead to tell him they are coming.""Do you mean that we three are to attack seven?" Percy asked, and the old man said with a smile:"I have seen both you lads ride gallantly forward when it was a case of twenty against one, and yet you hesitate with the odds not much more than double against us?""Percy does not hesitate," I replied, jealous lest there should be a question as to the courage of one of our family. "So that it is in your mind, Gavin Witherspoon, [177] we will agree to anything that has the faintest hope of success.""This is my plan: Yonder strangers are doubtless enemies; but if they prove to be friends, then have we done them no harm by carrying out that which is in my mind. We will follow so far in the rear that there is no danger of being discovered until they camp for the night, and then it will go hard indeed if we fail to find an opportunity for making them prisoners."I did not agree with Gavin Witherspoon in his belief that we might readily make prisoners of seven men; yet was I well pleased to venture the attempt, believing something of good might come, even though we failed in the purpose. It was seldom we who held true to the colonies had an opportunity of striking even so slight a blow as this when the odds were no more than two against one, and it would have been folly for us to have refused such a chance.Percy, once the plan was made plain, did [178] not consider it necessary to say whether he agreed to it or not.To his mind, all who were acquainted with him should know he would favor any plan, and there was little need for Gavin Witherspoon to go further into details than he had already done."It is such work as this for which we left the camp," Percy said quietly, "and if the strangers are friends, we can atone for any rough handling by showing them the way to General Marion's camp."This, so nearly as I can repeat it after these many years, was all that passed between us regarding the venture, and we set off on the trail without further delay.There is less difficulty in successfully stalking a man than a deer, and this last had both Percy and I performed time and time again until it seemed to us like a simple task. Therefore it was that Gavin Witherspoon had no green hands to aid him in the work he had cut out.Keeping so far in the rear as to hear the [179] noise as they forced their way through the underbrush, and yet not so near that we might by any possibility be seen, the three of us followed this little company who might be friends, but were probably enemies, until the going down of the sun, when we knew from such sounds as came to us that they had halted.Now it was only a matter of waiting, which, under almost any circumstances, is the most difficult task to perform patiently; yet every lad who has hunted wild turkeys is well schooled in such work, and it can safely be said that we did not risk a failure by being over-eager.The men, although having advanced with but little caution, realized the fact that there might be enemies in the vicinity, for they forbore building a camp-fire, and this fact rendered our work rather more difficult than it otherwise would have been.After it was certain they had settled down for the night we stole nearer and nearer, until it was possible to hear the [180] conversation carried on in an ordinary tone, and then we remained motionless until the time for action should arrive.When we were come thus far I believed we should hear such words as would declare whether these seven men were friends or enemies, and in this I was not disappointed, although we failed to learn anything of importance.While eating supper one of them, in the course of the ordinary conversation concerning the tramp of the day, remarked:"There is no probability we shall find any of the rebels during the next two or three days' march, for as yet we are among those who remain loyal to the king."The words as written above were all we had to give us a clue to the character of these strangers; but they were sufficient.We knew now, as well as if these men had explained at length, that they were in search of General Marion's encampment, and from that instant, answering for Percy as well as Gavin Witherspoon, I know that [181] the three of us counted on making a capture at whatsoever hazard.Not until fully an hour after the men had stretched themselves upon the ground and the last word was spoken between them, did we make a move toward nearing the encampment.Then it was that I would have gone forward, risking the danger with the belief that my life had better be made the price, rather than either of the others, when the old man laid his hand on mine as he whispered softly in my ear:"It is for me to go, first, because I have had more experience in such work, and again, on the plea that I can best be spared to the Cause if either of us must pay a penalty for leading in the attack."Although there may be the twang of a braggart in the words, still must it be set down that I tried to restrain Gavin Witherspoon, but without success.When I would have pushed him away he held me back, and it seemed impossible [182] to advance without such a squabble as would have given the alarm.I was absolutely forced to let him take the lead; but Percy and I kept close upon his heels.When, after creeping so cautiously that not a twig snapped beneath our weight, we had come to the small cleared place on the bank of the stream which the men had selected as an encampment, we saw that they were sleeping near the foot of a pine tree that had been overturned by the wind.The overhanging mass of roots formed a certain sort of shelter which served to protect them from the dew.Their rifles were stacked against one of the branches at a distance of fully three yards from where they lay, and, as a matter of course, it was necessary to first secure possession of these. Gavin did his work, as we knew beyond a question he could do, and when he raised himself beside the weapons, we two, Percy [183] and I, sprang to our feet, calling upon the sleepers to surrender.They had no other choice than to obey, and sheepish indeed were these seven after we had drawn them up in line, when they understood how small was th