Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-12-14

here at once, trusting for pardon to the
urgency of my mission
As he spoke he handed to the Colonel
a sealed letter. Watson took it hastily
and broke the seal. AS he read it a
smile of satisfaction o~verspread his fea-
lures.
"This is very good" he said, glee-
JULY. "Gai,ey is picking up recruits
by the hundreds. Wants 400 rifles. so
sabers and some ammunition at once.
Will I send them? To be sure, ] will.
Have you wagons, Lieutenant"
"No, sir" replied the young man.
"Major Gainey was afraid to send them
down. There's no knowing when or
where n may meet that Swamp Fox
and his sneaking c~utthroats."
"Very coed, said the Colonel. "I'n
furnish you with four wagons, and a
guard OF fifty mounted men. You will
start at sunrise in the morning, Lieu
tenant. Call at my quarters at mid
night, and you shall have the necessary
orders. Now, sir, you had better take
rest, as you will need it."
"First let me offer him some refresh
ments," said the widow quickly. "He
is tired and hungry I know, and no
guest must leave my house in such a
state"
"Return quickly, .then," said the
Colonel. "l shall be miserable while
you are gone"
The young man offered his arm to
the lady, and they left the ballroom
but instead of going to the dining-room
she led him straight to her chamber,
and then, locking the door, said anx-
iously:
"For heavens sake, Charles, what
is the meaning of thisP". is
The young man did not answer YER
bally, but, catching her to his breast
kissed her p~assionately, and, to be
frank, the young widow did not resist
him.
SIT MEANS" he said at last, in reply
to her repeated questions, "That we
want arms, and have come for them"
What else they said matters not how
but before they separated Mrs. Garden
seemed very well satisfied with the
young mans explanation. They then
repaired to the supper-room, where
the Lieutenant found ample refresh
ments, and the lady returned to the
ballroom where Colonel Watson i'm
patiently awaited her.
At midnight the Lieutenant called at
headquarters, and, faithful to his prom
Use, Colonel Watson was there. The
necessary orders for the delivery of the
arms and ammunition and wagons to
Lieutenant Thomas Wilson, of the
"loyal legion" were made ont, and
the Colonel also placed in the young
mans hand a sealed letter of instruc-
tons to Major Carney. The rest of the
night was spent. in procuring the de-
sired articles, and at sunrise the hext
morning Lieutenant Wilson, with his
wagons and their contents, escorted by
a guard of fifty men, set out for the
"High Hills Of santee," where the
Tory Majors headquarters were located.
The wagons and their escort made
good time, and by sunset were forty
miles from Charleston. The sun was
scarce half an hour high when Lieu
tenant Wilson ordered a halt for the
purpose of camping for the night. The
mounted men fastened their horses to
the trees and removing their saddles
prepared to cook their evening meal;
the teams were unhitched from the
wagons and the command busted them
selves in preparations for a comfortable
night. Every n was busy, and no
n noticed that while these arrange
ments were in progress Lieutenant Will
son had drawn Oft from the party and
disappeared in the woods that bordered
the road. Suddenly there was q crack
ling in the b~rusnWood, which caused
the British troopers to spring to their
feet in alarm. AS they did so, a voice,
which sounded not. unlike that of the
young Lieutenant, shouted loudly:
"Surrender, or you r all dead
men!"
General Marion secured his prison.
ers, together with the arms, a.mmuni-
ton, wagons, and horses, and set out,
after a rest of a few hours, for "Snow
Island" At the request of the bogus
Lieutenant Wilson, he sent back one of
the redcoats to Charleston with a note
to Colonel Watson, informing him of
the trick that had been played on him
by the young oticer-who, so far from
being a Lieutenant in the Tory legion,
was none other than the famous Charles
Hampton, a Captain in Marion's
Brigade, who planned and carried out
the plan MISUNDERSTANDING the
Colonel for the excellent weapons and
other materials he had sent him, and
promising to do good service with
them.
The British commander was furious
when he read the note, and saw the
hoax of which he had been made the
victim. He went in haste to Mrs.
Garden, but the fair widow had sailed
for England. He was compelled to
swallow his modification in silence,
and a few years later, when the wal
was over, his chagrin was not a little
increased by the tidings which reached
him that Mrs. Garden had married the
young officer who had tricked him out
of his rifles.
A Tish. Catching SnidaT.