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yfr ' t lrfft i ^ ^^1 ' ^ ^ ^ ^ ; ^v-* '" ''' ^'' ^^ * '" ^ a . " , " \ "" " | . ' . " ' - a 3 -:: : ' lewis k. grist, proprietor. | An Independent Journal: For the Promotion of the Political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the South. j#i pjfea ajuIWl i* adyajtcb. VOL.6. Y OEKVItLE, S. O., THUESD.AY, JUNE 38, I860. - 1STO. 26f ? " : ^ ? ? iiVln i n li-i' Cjrrilling lomam WRITTEN EXPRESSLY ?OR ELLEN Gi ?" "* * *' r" ' ' ' ? ' r KING'S M ' ^ - >2*1 BY MRS. MAE CHAPTER TIL Sighs now breathed Unutterable, which the apirit of prayer v Inspired and winged for beaven with speedier flight Than londest oratorv. Milton's Paradise Lost. The twenty-fifth of September,, dajyned a bright and sunny day, in one of the valleys of the beautiful Watauga. It is a lovely ^ spot! the torrent, emerging from the bosom of the mountains, comes bounding along r lite a silver thread, then suddenly spreads itself into a broad shallow stream, making a rippling symphony to the distant roar of the bass above. The gentle slope on one side, is shaded by the native growth of beech and maple, and the rich verdure of the sufftrd makes a soft carpet, swaying to each breath of the pure mountain breeze. On the opposite side are bold and rocky precipices, with narrow bridle paths traced over their precipitous sides. This was the rendezvous of a noble band of soldiers, and here lsy the patriot's camp. No martial music, no tents, no sentries, no pomp, none of the gorgeous trappings of war surrounded the devoted men. The reveille was the matin song of the birds; their tattoo the soft whisper of the whipporwill and cry of the katydid*; their tent the blue heaven above them, the waving boughs their canoDV, the velvet sward their couch. Their sentries were the barrier mountains around them, and their own fearless and honest hearts; and with these guards they rested in security from their foe. Ere the mountain peaks bid the declining sun, at least a thousand men were gathered in this quiet valley?some afoot and some on horseback, dressed in the fringed hunting shirt of the mountaineer, and bearing on their shoulders their trusty rifles, while others were yet decending the perilous paths; and the tread and plash of their horses as they struck the pebbly bottom of the stroDg current, blended richly with the natural music around them. And net only stalwart men were there, but the gray haired and the aged came to give the patriarch's blessing to their sons; to counsel a prudence that their enthusiastic boldness needed; and others came offering, gratuitously, the product of their farms, and furnishing unostentatiously, all that was in their power to offer. Women were mingled with the groups; the mother gazing with sad and noble pride upon her sons; the wife with mournful tenderness upon her husband; the sister's heart swelling in triumphant affec !ah n a oVia rro an oto Inrnrt rn rvf I ViUU) ao ^uv v/u wuv ci<<*i rv ui u^uit vi a brother; the daughter sighed in dread for the welfare of a father; and the maidea in timid woader at the ardor of the lover who seems to forget there is danger and death in the coming struggle. Every pulse beats high with hope; and every heart yearns for the battle. Moving from group to group, might be seen four or five men, who, from their martial bearing and their air of oommand, might well be judged to be leaders in this movement. One of these who seemed to be invested with more authority than the others, in a stern and dignified manner, was discoursing on the peril of the times. 'The paltry tax was not what drove us to this rebellion,' said he; 'but taxation without representation led us to inquire into the nature of civil liberty and our connection with Great Britain. We denied the British right of taxation; then the way was open for an investigation of the restrictions on our commerce and the disadvantages of our subordinate station. It was a right of! the subjects to meet together and petition for redress of grievances. Our committees, .11 . ^ 1 - _ J our congresses, were au constitutional, anu deserved to be recognized by the power from who we claimed national protection. But the answer to our petitions were insults and injuries; and when stung by these, we would defend ourselves. We are robbed, imprisoned and butchered. With a refinement of cruelty, our oppressors instigate our countrymen, our neighbors, our friends against us; and ties of nature, good will and confidence which hold society together, are in a great degree destroyed. This distinction of whig and tory?what is it but brother against brother, brought on by their own system of piratical robbery? Congress pays for all articles consumed iu their camps, which the royalists failing to do, all expense incurred by them is a robbery. But all distress between 1775 and 1780 is not to be compared with the calamities suffered by our people since the! surrender of Charleston. Our enemies! seem noc only to have forgotten the laws of war, but the principles of humanity ; every act of cruelty and injustice is sanctified, provided the actor calls himself a friend to the King, and the sufferer is denominated a rebel. Each day brings news of some fresh act of atrocity, and each act exceeds the last in cruelty. If ever then was a sinner ripe for judgment, the licentious and cruel Ferguson is the one; but his course is well nigh run,' said Campbell, looking proudly around his mountain band, 'and I trust the web we are weaving around the giant, will serve to crush the Tory ascendancy in our Carolines. 'It has been well said, by one of the old country's greatest statesmen, and one who has been our best advocate in parliamentary hall,' said McDowell, with magisterial dignity, 'that liberty, such as deserves the name, is an honest, equitable, diffusive aod imperative principle. It is a great and enlarged virtue, and not a sordid, selfish and illiberal vice. It is the portion of the mass of the citizens, and not the haughty license it flf % lekintiair. THE YORKYTLLE ENQUIRER. lMPBELL ; R, * ** ' * v 10TJNTAIN. ;Y A. EWART. > ? ? ^ ^ % t j of some potent individual or some predomi nant taction.' <Ah!' replied the usually tacitura Shelby, if ever Christianity has failed to teach our oppressors that, they will not be apt to heed the lessoQ from a patriot's lips.' Then, we will teach them by the good swords of the hardy dwellers on the Watauga, by the unerring knife of the sons of the Nolliohucky, and the patriots of the forks of the Holston !' cried the impetuous Sevier?'but when will you move, Colonel, and how shall we organize V 'For the present, we had each better lead our own volunteers and take it hunting fashion, every man independent, till we hear , from Gates.- I propoBoj however, deferring any action in the matter till we meet with , Cleveland and Williams,' replied Campbell. 'Well, when shall we move?' asked Sevier, restlessly pacing to and fro; 'the gathering is now complete?if you don't mind, the game will slip through your fingers.' ' Patience, Sevier, patience, man,' replied Campbell; 'it is not always the swiftest step that is the surest. Ferguson is yet j too near my lord over yonder in Charlotte, j J Give Williams time to bait him a little j longer." 'Let Williams coax him a step or two; farther South,'said the prudent McDowell; 'our numbers will then be more complete, and we can match the blood-hound in swiftness as well as keenness.' 'I'm tired of this wait,, wait, wait,' replied the impetuous Sevier; 'we surely are now a match for him !' 'How many men have you, Sevier?' asked , the practical McDowell. Two hundred and forty,' replied Sevier, 'as hardy North Carolina boys as you would ( wish to see.' 'And you, Shelby ?' 'The same number ; and I'll match my *, Sullivan boys against Sevier's Washingtons, ( for hardihood and courage,' replied Shelby. | 'Every man of them has had aD experience ( in Indian warfare, that prepares him for! ^ the hardships ot a soldier.' ' . 'So,' said McDowell, 'we have four hundred and eighty ; you have four hundred Virginians; Campbell and my Whig refugees, make about one hundred and sixty more.'. ( 'And Ferguson has between eleven and ! ] twelva hundred men, and only about one hundred and fifty of them regulars. I think we may venture ; what say you to moving Shelby?' said Campbell, excited with the prospect of action. 'I'm ready to start at the crack of day,' replied Shelby sententiously. Then, we'll go. What say you, McDowell?' said Sevier, hastily fearing his wiser prudeuce would counsel delay. 'I would propose,' replied McDowell, 'to j hover in the enemy's neighborhood, than j advance directly toward him ; their force I is yet too formidable, not so much in num-1 bers or discipline,' said he, noticing Sevier's; quick frown, 'but we must remember they' are elated from recent victory?only 70 or 80 miles from Cornwallis, and they arc in a position to make their way in safety to the main army, and we thus endanger ourselves hv alarniincr them and ininre nnr nwn interest. "We must also recollect that they!' are well provided with munitions of war;,1 they are flushed with hope and eager for!1 new conquests. Gentlemen, it is well j( enough to encourage our men by talking of!' the certainty of success, the impossibilty 1 of defeat, but we who are entrusted with I* their lives and fortunes, must calmly con- ' template every exigency of the case. The ' enemy swarms in all our strongholds.? 1 South Carolina is literally under British, nay worse, under Tory rule. Cornwallis' system of imprisonment, confiscation and hanging, threatens to make his word true of 'subduing the whole country south of the Delaware before winter.' Look at the pitiable condition of Clark, amidst the inhospitable wilderness of the Alleghany, encumbered by a troop of women and children, who, having suffered from the cruelty of the savage and the more ruthless fury of the Tory, prefer the rigors of the mountains, to their own desecrated and ruined homes.? And, if it were not that Ferguson is so completely absorbed in the pursuit of our gallant comrade, what hope would there be i j for us ? Our safety as well as our success, lies in the confidence of the enetny, which leads him to neglect the most ordinary pre- J cautions of a commander. Then comrades, ' let us not destroy, by our imprudence, this ' fancied security, and so lose our last hope s in Carolina, and leave Clarke to the mercies ( of the butcher, who spares neither age nor 1 sex.' j 'And you would still counsel delay?' asked Sevier, inwardly chafing at the pru- ; ^ dence that admitted no reply. No,' replied McDowell, 'I nroposetol| move at once, but slowly, till we can effect a j ; w:n: ?:n i_- ' juuunuu mm ?? unpins, wuu is sun in nis ! encampment at Fair Forest, coaxing Ferguson, South. I believe Clarke's situation ] to be critical, and the sooner we strike, the . better; but we must choose the opportune ( moment.' 'To seize that, we must watch it. Gentle- i men, what say you to moving in the' morning V said Shelby, with military brevity, h 'Agreed,' replied the officers; and at once' dispersing through the camp, they gave, notice of the decision to march. Early in the morning of the following! day, the little army were in active preparation for their march. There was no soand | of noise and revelry in that camp. Every man's soul was fifled with a high purpose; every nerve was strong with a firm resolve. Buckling on the wallets, their wives and mothers had filled ; stowing carefully away the bullets their sisters and daughters had moulded; with their well wiped rifles, glittering in the sun's morning rays, these noble patriots, with the lofty bearing and calm determination of a high sould'purpose, turned to bid farewell to women, whose pallid cheeks and tearless eyes, spoke a brave and answering heroism. Children clasped their fathers neck in tearful, but silent wonder and awe at the sternness that gave no answeriug caress, little knowing the heaving bursting heart that was chained in that icy firmness. The mother parting from the boy, who meant to give his life, if needful, to the cause of human charity, mutely blessed her ohild and tamed from him?perhaps forever. The wife clung in silent anguish to the arm that had never yet failed its enoouragement and support, or rested against the heart of the father of her children. Maidens gobbed aloud as for the last time they were enoircled in the arms of fathers and mothers; while lovers pressed each others hands in silence and looked a last farewell; and thus they stood one little moment ere they part, many of them forever. A whisper goes round? each group draws nearer, until as a body, they stand together. <Let us pray,' rises from the lips of the man of God, and every head is reverently uncovered, and every heart with its full burden of tears, of anguish and supplication, ascends to the God who will surely hear the prayer of the oppressed and anguished spirit. And prayer, solemn and earnest, for the protection and guidance of this little band, and for the support and security of those yho were now to be sundered from their protectors, was earnestly offered. A scene so touchingly sublime, has seldom, if ever, been witnessed. This handful of devoted men going out to battle, not in their own might, but in the strength of the God of their fathers; those fathers who had willingly renounced all for the privilege of worshipping Him in freedom, and whose sons now stood battling For their second right, equality of man; and [ firmly believe that prayer was the weapan, that little more than a week from that iay, reverberated in shouts of victory from King's Mountain, bore the souls of dying heroes in triumph before the great white throne; caused the heart of Washington to leap with joy, as the men, to whom he had mtrusted the liberties of America when all dse failed, sent up the shout of victory and :riumph! Truly, 'the mountain is the birth place, but never the grave of Liberty!' j CIIAPTER VIII. Shall we resign 3ur hopes, renounce our rights, forget our wrongs Because an impotent lip beneath a crown Cries, "Be it so?" Sjb A. Hunt's 'Julian.' 'All that is best springs from the heart,' md this sudden and spontaneous gathering j ) the banks of the Wautauga, sprang from j :he heart of the mountains west of the Aleghanies. It was a voluntary act of patriotism, planned by no congress, ordered iy no executive. Human charity called; hem together?the need of their fellow : nen. These rude denizens of the forest, I hese strange wild men from 'unknown i mountains,' where 'nature dwelt in awful; solitude,' assembled together not only from I he love of country but their love of virtue; though Dever witnessing the horrors of civil var, their spirits were fired, their souls ndignant at the records of crime and slaughter that were daily brought to their jars. They heard of human brothers, who 'or the crime of loving their country, were: jound to their own door posts?their wives | tnd daughters ravished before their eyes, i ind they at length perishing in the flames )f their dwellings; they heard of women ipped open by the butcher-knife of the Tory, for the crime of refusing to betray ;heir own husbands; they heard of sons lung like dogs or butchered like beasts, lecause they were the children of Whig parents. They heard of American Statesmen, the pure patriots who had sacrificed iheir all for freedom, bound with the British felon, suffering indignities and distress in common with those who were accused j )f crimes, tending to subvert the peace and jxistence of society. They heard of others tenderly nurtured, accustomed to the comforts and luxuries of life, obliged to abandon their homes and seek safety in their native woods and swamps Rapine, outrage and murder seemed to be the pasime of their enemies; civil rights and orler were now no longer objects of attention, iut the will of the strongest was law.? Roused to a righteous horror against the jerpetrators of such crimes, they left their lomes, encountering dangers from which ;he bravest might shrink, to battle for the sympathies and sweet charities of life.? A.nd their courage and fortitude lay not on yTn attacking an enemy superior to themselves in numbers and inunitious of war; an meniy established in the strongest military posts of the State, from Savannah to North Carolina?at Augusta, Ninety-Six, Granby, Winnsboro', Camden and Charlotte?but ihey knew their departure from their homes was a signal for British emissaries to ex;ite herds of savages to burn their dwellings and murder ther wives and children. Rvery breeze echoed, iu imagination, the Indian war whoop with the shrieks of their murdered families and the dying groans of loved and dear ones. But trampling this fear in the dust, this noble band in abiding trust in God and their cause, nerved their hearts not ouly in their courage to meet their foe, but in the faith, to trust their wives and little ones to His keeping. The army had received intelligence that Major Ferguson had advanced as high as Gilbert Town, in Rutherford County, North Carolina, and threatened to cross the mountains to the western waters to entrap, if possible, our gallant partisan Clarke, who was now retreating from Augusta towards the moun j tain districts of North Carolina. So intent was Ferguson upon this pursuit, so satisfied of the British ascendancy in South Carolina, and so confdent of the patriots' inability to recover their lost ground, that he was totally unsuspicious of any movement against him. It was a matter of the utmost importance to our little army to preserve and profit by this confidence, in order to obtain a position from which Ferguson might more certainly be cnt off from Cornwallis, now stationed at Charlotte, some seventy or eighty miles distant. Ferguson, without being aware, played into the hands of the patriots as he slowly and cautiously moved .toward Ninety-Six. As warily as the tiger after his prey, did Campbell and his comrades steal after bim, their anxieties stimulated by their fears for Clarke, and their apprehensions that Cornwallis would receive information of their movements.? From the 2Gth to the 30th, they pursued their slow and weary march. They were then joined by Colonel Cleveland, with three hundred and fifty men from the counties of Wilkes and Surry- Their foroe now amounted to about fourteen hundred men. With such a body it became necessary to have a commander-in-chief, and an express was despatched on the 1st October, to Major General Gates, at the American headquarters, at Hillsboro', N. C. In the meantime, Col. Campbell, by unanimous consent, took the command of the gallant army. On the morning after the appointment, they prooeeded toward Gibert Town; which after a weary march they reached, to find it vacated by Ferguson and in the occupation of the Whig leaders, Brandon and Laoy. Here the army halted until they could hear from Williams, of Ferguson's late movements. Immediately after their arrival in the village, a small body of travel-stained soldiers entered the camp. These bore the welcome arms and provisions captured by Major Davie, the preoeding week. They gave a graphic description of the perils they bad passed, and the stratagem they used to avoid the enemy. 'And where is Davie ?' asked Sevier. 'He concluded to join Major Williams at Fair Forest, as Clarke's peril seemed imminent, and the Major determined to strike a blow for him if Ferguson entrapped him,' replied the young ensign, a nephew of Sevier, who was in command of the stores. ?I thought he was with Williams,' replied Sevier ; 'the hot beaded rascal, he must be near enough to snuff the enemy?he need not be longer alarmed about Clarke, however; our despatch of yesterday brings us word of the gallant fellow's safe arrival in the settlements of Nollichucky and Wautauga?but do you know Major Williams' position now?' 'He has left his encampment and is endeavoring to pass Ferguson, and make a junction with you. You should hear from him soon,' replied the ensign. 'I trust so ! I trust so ! this eagerness of expectation aod restless loDgmg is more trying than the most laborious duty,' cried the impatient Sevier. 'Has the Major a fine body of troops ?' 'Splendid, and all well mounted.' 'Ah ! that speaks well; how the devil the young blade has kept so many together, when every one else is hiding his head, I cannot understand,' said Sevier, laughing, in high good humor. 'He never gives one the chance to catch him, although he almost ran his head in the noose a short time ago,' said the ensign. 'Ah ! how was that ?' Here the ensign related the events which occurred in a preceding chapter. 'And what became of Hardy?' asked Sevier, deeply in terested in the peril of his young friend. 'Made a back door escape, and favored by the shades of the night, and the speed of a fleet horse, got out of our reach. I think our boys would have hung him, if they had Annaht him.' r ~ 'And the villain, Ferri9 ?' <Hid in a dry well, till an opportunity offered of knocking one of our men on the head, when he seized his horse and scampered after his master.' 'That was a cruel fate that allowed the wretch to escape.' said Sevier. 'It was j and the greedy villain was in the very act of relieving old Mr. Willoughby of soire of his heavy plate, but he had to drop it like a hot brick and run for his life; banging would have been too good for him if we had caught him. I think we would have given him seven deaths if anything had befallen Major Pavie. I never saw Bowen so furious at the escape of any one in my life ; he would have crossed the Catawba after him, if we would have let him.' 'I do not wonder,' said Sevier; 'and you say a girl brought the information to the camp, of Davie's capture V 'Yes, a child in appearance, and yet as pretty a little piece of woman flesh as I ever laid eyes on. The Captain was mighty particular about ber safe conduct. He entrusted the charge to me with more words than he would have spent on the care of a regiment. I talked to her along the road, but small notice she gave me till I spoke of the Captain; and then, though she did not talk much, her pretty blue eyes spoke for her, and the smiles fairly danced around her mouth. The Captain has spoiled as pretty a little coquette as ever Venus had the making of. -She would have laughed at affection if she dared, would have jested at devotion, eveu while braving the perils which it led her to encounter, but some secret impulse or principle withheld her, and she only shook her brown curls over her laughing face, and hid the blush my praise called up, or with a yet more intoxicating caprice, lifted her blue eyes to mine with a full, free gaze, that bewildered me with its audaoious innocence,' said the ardent young ensign, more in love with the pretty Bessie than he cared to own. 'Take care, or you'll get Bowen on you for breach of trust,' laughed Sevier; 'but I thought he was sly of the women gender. I never imagined Bowen would speak to one of the sex.' 'I don't know. I only know he proved his taste when he did speak; and by some magio, he has got as sportive, ooy, and changeful a natnre as ever bewildered the brain of man, subdued to a child-like trust, a wife-like devotion; and that a nature like this, should hold such danger as she encountered cheap, is a mystery I cannot fathom. I don't believe that woman ever was taken from man; that is an antediluvian tradition that all experience disproves.? She is a cross between a witch and an angel, or she pever could be so capricious and yet so devoted, so tantalizing, and so fascinating.' 'One of them has certainly bewitched you, Ned, and I shall put you, at once, on stern camp duty, in order to exercise the spirit,' said Sevier. 'What is her name, Venus. Cleonatra or Delilah ?' 'Venus!' cried the young ensign, in affeoted horror; 'my little life and blood girl, compared to that old heathen divinity? Cleopatra! Heavens! little Bessie, that great blaok eyed Egyptian queen ? Delilah ! Purity and innocence forgive the thought! No, she is none of these; her name caps the climax of her perfections and is a poem on affection, a household word and a woman, all combined?Bessie. Bessie Craig. Did you ever hear a sweeter ?' 'Away with your nonsense; try and talk, if yoa can, of graver matters. What car ried Davie to the Mansion House V 'Ha! ha!' laughed the merry youth, who possessed, in a great degree, the vivacity and ardent temper of his uncle, 'the Major has a way of his own, of resting from the toils of war. You may call Miss Ellen a Venus if you will; she possesses a high, cold beauty that would chisel finely in marble.' 'Ha! is that Davie's game ? He has been verv slv about it.' 'He has been very sure about it, at any rate, I should judge. I know her heroism cheated Captain Hardy of his captive, for some hours, and gave us a chance to trap him.' Strange! strange!' replied Sevier, gravely ; 'how affection seems to inspire woman, in the hour of danger, with a courage before which even man's pales, and leads her on to accept any ordeal to shield or vindicate her love. Give me a regiment of such spirits, with muskets in their hands, and I will proclaim freedom through our whole western continent; convulse Europe, and cause kings* to totter on their thrones.? But what is the condition of the country you passed through ?' 'As usual, the path of Ferguson and his Tories, is marked by terror and bloodshed. They are carrying out Cornwallis' instructions in the most vigorous manner. The order to hang those who have borne arms with the British, and afterward joined our forces, has been construed into a command to hang all who will not fight against the Americans; and these, with prisoners on parole, have been literally murdered in cold blood/ The very surest way he could take of rousine Carolina spirit; but he could not, with any show of justice, carry out such brutal policy in York District, for the inhabitants never have accepted protection as subjects, nor were paroled as prisoners.' Yes, but British justice is now a stout rope aDd a strong limb, applied to the first Whig they can catch; but revenge and despair are working for us as steadily as zeal and patriotism in more prospeious times. It is sad, though, to see the terror and distress of the people.' The shocking tales of brutality we have heard of, are almost incredible, and seem to be more the cruelty and hatred of fiends tbao men,' said the Colonel. 'You may believe all, and more than all you hear; there may be some Tories who are men of principle and humanity, but they are not in the upper districts. These i men or devils are a set of horse thieves and j outlaws; men whose crimes have exiled j them from society; ignorant, unprincipled banditti, whose idleness, licentiousness and deeds of violence, find no parallel. Ferguson himself, I have heard, is a stout, fearless and efficient officer, but constant communication with such vile refuse, has transformed him into a cruel, swaggering bully, and his hatred to the Whigs and the Whig cause, is only equaled by his zeal and activity in exterminating them,' replied the youth. You think, then, we will meet with the co-operation of the people V said Sevier. They could not more effectually drive them to us,' replied the young officer, ?'and all they wait for is opportunity.' Wbioh, by Heavens! they shall have ere long,' said Sevier, impetuously interrupting him. <This confounded waiting wears out my life-blood. I would have pounced on the rascal before he shook the dust of Gilbert Town from his heels.' And why did you not?' asked the young ensign, as ardent as his uncle. Because,' replied Sevier, laughing at his own impetuosity, 'wiser heads than yours or mine decreed differently.' The next morning a vidette from Williams, apprised Campbell of Ferguson's whereabouts, with full particulars of his force. The stratagem and wily movements of the partisans, had placed a distance of one hundred miles between his army and Cornwallis, and Ferguson was at length aroused to alarm. He was now making a rapid retreat, in order, if possible, to connect with the main army.' His efficient force consisted of about twelve hundred men, of picked regulars, and the best loyalists he could muster; and though retreating, it was in incredulous scorn, that a host such as ho heard of, could so secretly and so suddenly have arisen from the heart of the mountains. On the reoeipt of this information, Campbell at once put his men in marching order, and moved towards the point at which he proposed to meet Williams. This was at the Cowpens; where the partisan was awaiting him with four hun dredfollowers. On his arrival there on the 6th of October, he found that Ferguson was Btill rapidly retreating and becoming more alarmed as the imminency of the danger pressed upon him,' had crossed the Cherokee ford of Broad river at night, and was urging his tired troops still on. With the promptitude whioh characterized Campbell, and with the courage of hii daring character, he at once resolved to pursue him. Picking out abont nine hundred of his best men and stoutest horses, and leaving the weakest of the cavalry and footmen behind; he pressed fast on the enemy's heelB. The ohase now grew warm, and the hearts of the mountain hunters beat high with eagerness. Every man knew his duty, and as firm in their saddles as they were fixed in their purpose, they dashed on in hot pursuit.? With thejreokless, enthusiastic, but skillful and judioions Campbell at their head, their hearts never entertained a thought of defeat. Each troop had their chosen leader in front, and their men knew they were to follow them to victory or death. As if to dampeD an ardor that might seem impetuous, a heavy rain fell, and it was with the utmost difficulty the little baud could keep their rifles dry ; but putting them under their arms, and cheered by the voice and encouragement of their leaders, with a stern determination they continued the chase.? About daylight they crossed the Cherokee ford on Broad river, about twelve miles from King's Mountain. Here they called a halt, and in the pelting rain, partook of their parohed corn, and whatever else of provisions remain in their wallets. Scarcely breathing after their hasty meal, again tbey pursued the foe. About twelve o'olock they came within three miles of Ferguson. He was encamped on the summit of King's Mountain, a height of about 500 feet, covered with a growth of heavy timber, with occasional huge boulders of rook which made the ascent more difficult. His position was admirably chosen, and from the commanding height he bad full view of Campbell's march for several miles. Feelintr t.hov hurl nt. Ipnofh hrnrnrht. t.he cramfl tn I ...fc j ?- ? tr* ?B o bay, and anxious to give his men fall time to recruit their strength, Campbell again called a halt, and made disposition for battle. The morning that had opened so nnpropitious, was now cleared off to a clear, cool noon, and the exhilarating autumnal breeze refreshed and enlivened the spirit of the weary soldiery. Nature smiled upon the array of devoted patriots, and drawing a fcvorable omen from the circumstance, with hearts beating high with hope, they awaited the signal for action. CHAPTER IX. Of many an ill untold, unsung, That will not?pay not, find a tongue. btboh. It was early morning when Bessie Craig stood with her sun bonnet in her hand in the porch of their little cottage. 'Indeed, father, I don't like to leave you,' said she; 'supposing harm should befall you, I would never forgive myself for j the desertion.' 'God's goodness and my grey hairs will | preserve me, lassie,' replied the old man ; [?and I'll be better satisfied to know you j arc up at the mansion.' 'Yes, but father, God's goodness can preserve me, too; and the mansion did not preserve Miss Ellen from fear the other night.' I know that, Bessie,' replied the old man, sighing, 'but still I'm thinking tbej'll be apt to show you more respect if you were up there, though it's little the respect these tory troopers show to any one now. Mnybe it's as weel for you to bide with your auld faither aftet a'-' ?I will go, if you bid me, father, but I'd rather be with you,' replied the dutiful giri as she clasped the old man's arm. 'As you will Bessie; after a' it is He only who kills and who makes alive again, and though I ken it so weel, and ken that He who keeps the young ravens will guard my little Bessie, still my fuith is trembling to night, and I fear for you my bairn.' 'You have heard so many bloody tales lately, dear father, of those wicked troopers, that you are uneasy j but Col. Campbell will soon drive them from our country, and we will have peace once more.' 'Peace, peace,' said old Andrew. 'God grant it! Sometimes I fear we will never see it again.' ' You desponding father! Why I thought nothing could shake your trust in the holy cause. Why you'll have your little Bessie scolding you for want of faith. Go down Anrl nnn f Kn n\i nlotn?? n ts In 1 a vaii 1/ nAfD a UUU see UIC uiiuiObCi onuuc j juu auutt a talk with him always does you good, and you will come back cheered.' ?I believe I will, Bessie, for whether this failing faith is a sign that the silver cord will soon be loosed and the golden bowl broken or no, I canna say; but this I know, that He who so long has granted me living grace will also grant me dying grace; and I will do as you say, chiel, and awa and seek strength from the man of God.' And the old man went away murmuring 'a little child shall lead you ; unless ye became as a little child, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.' Little Bessie was too light hearted a maiden to remain long sad, and too busy a body, to remain long idle; so drawing her spinning wheel from its cover, she kept time to its low buzzing music, with many a plaintive ditty of olden time. It was easy to read the memories that filled her inno- 1 cent heurt as she sang 'A soldier once I lo'ed, forget him shall I never,' And the yet more tender love that breathed from her lips in 'The dearest lad that ever blest a woman's e'e.' Bessie was never lonely; ber wheel and ( her song and her merry heart were an anti- j dote against all ennui, as well as against < all care, and beside that wheel, her busy i fancy wove many a bright hope for the fu- i tnre, with Ellick Bowen to share it and < peace to bless them both. So absorbed was she in her pleasant fancies, that she did 1 not notice the frequent passing of many persons on the hitherto quiet road, and it ' was not till her attention was aroused by a gruff call for water, that she discovered some i unusual occurrence Mas enacting. Small t parties of troops were hurrying down the road as if reconnoitering, while here and p there a weary traveller plodded on as if he I dared not rest. To Bessie's inquiries she a received a coarse reply, or * profane oath, i and closing the door of the oottage she a- c waited, with considerable anxiety, the re- r turn of her father. It was not long ere he I came, the hurried manner of his riding s testifying to his anxiety. * Hastily dismounting, he drew his horse within the shadow i of the trees, and hurried into his dwelling. < The news he brought was startling. Ferguson in his rapid retreat, bad oroesed the i Cherokee Ford, and wag making for King's i Mountain where he intended to take a po- 1 sition to give battle. The rabble of the i army who followed it for the purposes of 1 plunder, were scattering through the country to await the decision of the battle.? t The soldiery had been guilty of the most 1 wanton cruelties and depredations. A party of them the night previous entered Mr. 1 Adam's house and wantonly burned all the < "Bibles and Psalm Books they could find, 1 swearing that Presbyterian covenanters were the inciters of the rebellion, and he 1 might thank the luck that spared them j from throwing him on the burning pile. i ?Oh father !' cried Bessie, horror-struck i at the sacrilege, ?if God's word is not saored, i what will these people respect?' 'Nothing, lassie, nothingthere's no age nor condition beyond their cruelty, and I hear yon devil, Ferris, hasgotMr.Willougbbv's plate safe in the British camp.' 'Why that is downright robbery,' cried Bessie. 'And what do they care for that ? If they do not value human life, ^hey will hardly respect human* rights. Jack Adair's wife down on the creek, refused to tell some of the party where the cattle were, resolving they should not go to feed the British, and they ripped her open on her own door steps, and the dead mother fell on the bairns that were crying around her knee.' , * t " 'Horrible, horrible 1' said Bessie, covering her face with her hands. 'Yes, and what I'm to do with you, cbiel, I canna say. My heart faiots at the thought of the terror to which you will bfe exposed.' ' * I will not leave you, father,''said Bessie, firmly. 'Deed, Bessie, I dinna what to do; but I'm thinking you'll be better at tbe Mansion House/ 'It is useless to persuade me, father j you see yourself they are not free from the insults of these lawless men, and I am as safe here with you as I am anywhere. I cannot go; do not grieve me by asking, dear father,' said little Bessie, in her coaxing way. 'As you like, lassie; dear knows I canna find it in my heart to send yotl from me now.' Bessie now busied herself about her usual household duties, and thongh interrupted frequently by rode guests, still the day promised to pass without other danger than the terror these coarse visitors inspired.? Late in the evening, Andrew gathered from the remarks of the passers, that the Americans were in hot parsuit, and would likely come up with the enemy on the following day. 4It is positive madness,' said one, 'to attempt forcing Ferguson from that position; he commands the whole hill, and each column of the whigs as it advances will be swept by bis guns till not a man remains. He's got a body of regulars there, too, that i j r *i i j :i. :r wuuiu muu a tuuuuauu ueviia 11 mey were commanded to it. I tell yon there's small chance for those hunting shirt fellows below. Why Ferguson could crush them by only rolling the stones down.' Such conversations and the like were not 1 calculated to quiet Andrew's mind, yet just i as little did they intimidate hopeful little < Bessie. With a quiet smile and many an < inward prayer, for well she knew Ellick j was there, did she pursue her duties. As j evening advanced the confusion became ? greater, and the ribald oaths and obscene < songs of the brutal rabble more than once i startled and ahooked Bessie's ears. Still ? she bravely kept up her courage, and set- ? ting the table for the evening meal, prepar- ? ed it with the usual tidy despatch. ?* I am afraid yon are no better, father,' said Bessie, who had twice called^the old man before he had answered. ' I 'Yes, lassie dear, better and more comfortable since the morn,' replied the old man. 'If I get a night's rest with God's blessing, I will be the same as ever, and may He bless and keep us,' said he, as he reverently bowed his head asking the customary blessing on the food provided.? They had scarcely set dowo ere the door t was rudely thrown open and a party of j troopers, headed by Ferris, entered. ( 'Just in time,' said he, with a coarse t oath. 'Come, Bessie,' said he familiarly t laying his hand on her shoulders. 'Give t us some supper, girl; the best the house 1 will afford.' t Now Bessie was neither patient nor pra- t dent, and quiok to resent 8Qoh conduct and c language from the man whom she hated t above all others in the world, she replied a 'I'll never wait on you, Reuben Ferris, a nor any like you, but I know you'll take c what you want, there are the keys, wait on c yourself,' and throwing them on the table, 1 she entered her own room and closed the i door. ', a 'A spicy jade,' said one of the men. f Let her alone,' said Ferris. 'I'll deal t with her presently.' r 'I trust, sirs,' said Andrew, in pale alarm t it Bessie's imprudent words, and the swag- ' gering impudence of the party, 'that you a will think nothing of the hasty speeoh of a f' 3tlly lassie. You are welcome to whatever I my poor house affords, and I will wait upon fl you better than a foolish girl.' & 'I'll swear if it ain't the deaf Scotchman, h Tom! You can hear well enough now, you grey headed hypocrite,' said a trooper, d with an oath. ? <Ha! what is that Tom ?' asked Ferris b u surprise, at the indignant astonishment of lis companion. . 'We came here, the night of your big exledition against Major Davie up at the dansion House,' laughed lem-'-with whom nd his companions, Feme's bungling husoes* was a standing, joker-'and found the Id sinner so deaf and so psalm ringing, up, tot to be able to hear anything we said to tim. Yon have recovered wonderfully, inoe that time, friend.' . 'Yes, and I'll be sworn be was the very nan that earned the news to the Whig tamp,' said Ferris, in gathering wrath. , <If I thought so, I'd make him danoe on aothing, pretty soon,' said the trooper, a reckless and cruel bally who was a match for Ferris in every crime. ' 'But no it could iot have been, for there was no one here int himself.' 'No one bat himself I Where was Beetie V said Ferris, with his keen grey eyes ixed on the man. ' * . 'His child, oh! she had gone to see a friend,' said the trooper, who oould not understand the gathering clcrad oh - Ferries brow. ^ She had, had she?' thundered Ferris. Now/ said be, with a terrible oath, 'she'll pay dearly for that visit. Tell flne where *he went/ cried be, starting np and- grasping the throat of Andrew, 'or I'll choke every drop of blood out of yon.' ' ' There was a low gargling sound, and Ferris not aware himself, in his fury,-of the giant grip that was snffocatiog the old man, was startled-by a piercing shriek, and-Bessie, who had been-an anxk^hs- listener of the foregoing eonversation, rushed from the adjoining room and threw her arms around her father. With a furious curse the wretch dashed the old man from bis hand, and dragging, the girl from the now iasensible body, tbnndered oat, 'So it was yoa, my little miss,- that done Bowen the good deed of carrying tales to him, was it?' . <My father, my dear father/ cried the girl, wrenching herself from the rufiasfs grasp; and, kneeling by the side of the still prostrate form, called on him -in" piercing taviafl Sa flMAftlr 4a ll a? Ha ?haa ma!' Luuca tu opcoa lu uci. ixc rod uvu bat partially strangled and stunned; he slowly opened his eyes, and. with difficulty raised himself from the floor. 'Are you hurt, father dear.?' cried Bee. sie, as she bent over him in tearful anxiety. <1 canna say, my child. I feel rqrj strange?here?' said he, hesitatingly pressing bis hand to his head. 'I think, child, I have had a stroke,' and he looked into her faoe in pitiful distress. ^ 'Shut up that confounded blubbering and tell me if it was you who carried tales to the rebel Bowen,' said Ferris, for a moment intimidated at the girl's grief;'hut again furious at the memory of that nights disappointment 'Ellick Bowen is no rebel, Ruben Ferris, and if you want to know who spoiled yonr murderous plan, I'll tell yon. I did, and I'd do it again and again, to.disagjgjifit such Tory cowards as you, who are oaly^ to fight old men and frighten women.* *; It was a brave speech, hat a sadly im-.. prudent one. Ferris's hitherto noisy tdoes grew deep, and bis smothered wrath made his thickened utterance barely intelligible; words of concentrated paarion burst from his lips, which little Bessie replied to in scornful recklessness; then a sneering familiarity which Bessie did not hesitate to show was as hateful as it was de8pica&|?; there were words and tones which caused tbe maiden in terror and outer sname to hide her head in the oilman's bosom^foliowed by bratal insults whioh were met by passionate tears and vain pleadings; there was the tremulous voiee of an old man p!^d- * ing as only a father coold plead for an only child, and that chHd a maiden, answered* by curses and blows; there was a straggle, a groan, a woman's shriek of mdrtal terror, of bitter agony, a hoarse l&agh, a ribSid jest; then darkness and silence, and gloom gathered around the dwelling so long the ibode of innocence and peace; stars looked lown on a ruined garden, trampled B'j . -ough and unheeding feet; the littlegate iwnogback from its binges, and cessation leemed stamped upon the hitherto lovely ipot. [to be continued.] [We can supply the back numbers of the pa* jer from the commencement of this story. 1 > > _. J wr A Remarkable Meteorological Phb- ' ?omenon?A Shower op Pebbles.-^ibout four o'clock yesterday afternoon, tbe ittentioQ of a number of persona who were >n the stoop at Patton's Hotel, 466 River itreet, were attracted by the^ fall of hard lubetaocea on the ground Dear them, which .hey at first supposed was hail. DiscoverDg this to be a mistake, however, they pro? seeded so make ao investigation, and found hat what they had beard falling were peb>les, varying in size from thoee little larger han a bean, to some weighing .half an ounce. These stones were soattered over a space a>out twenty feet sqoare. Notwithstanding he ground thereabout is very hard, some if them were imbeded in it?proving that hey must have fallen from a great distance, md with immense velocity. The pebbles re very clear and Bmooth, and give evilenoe of having been worn by the attrition if water. They are not, in any way, simiar in combination or oolor to pebbles found n this vioinity, being beautifully striped .nd variegated, aud resembling the agates bund in Lake Superior district. Some of hem are perfectly and beaatifnlly transpaent. One of a number kindly presented o us by Mr. J. Briggs, druggist, is marked rith handsome circular spots, which olearly how from either side. Mr. Briggs also arnished several of the stoues to Prof. )avid A. Wells, fie is of opinion that bey have been taken up by some great irnado or whirlwind, by whioh they were eld in suspense, and carried over a coniderahle district of country, to be finally eposited here. The foroe of velocity neessary to produce this phenomenon may e imagined.?Troy Time*, June 2d.