The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-09-05
CHAPTER TX.
SOME SYLVAN SURPRISES.

vasseur gathered together HE
slaves and his other personal property
and with them loaded two luggers
and small schooner. Mr.. Verron
had warned him that it was no longer
safe to remain on the exposed coast
of Bay Saint Louis. 10 be sure, the
warning was scarcely needed after tho
raid of the cavaliers; but Mr.. Vernon
did not refer to this danger; it was
the British fleet that was expected to
appear in the gulf waters.
As q matter of fact the fleet did not
come Immediately; but the British
we're sending emissaries to the Indians
all through Alabama and Mississippi,
melting them to war against the
whites. General Jackson had de-
feated the savages, after bloody fight.
ing, on the 9th of March, at To.
hopeka, and was taken steps to or,
ganize all army with which to gain
possession of the Spanish forts along
the gulf coast.
Everywhere among the white settle.
ments the rumors had gone forth that
great military events were impend-
ing; that most probably an English
force absolutely overwhelming was
about to be thrown into the country,
to ravage it far and wide. .rN %s,
The frontier people were mostly
poor, uneducated and possessed OF
but limited knowledge of the current
affairs of the world, and it was no
more than natural that they should
receive an exaggerate impression of
the threatened danger.
They were as brave as lions, how
ever, and their patriotism knew no
limit. Indian haters from their
cradles up, it needed no more perfect
goad than the British coalition with
the savages to make everY man, WON.
an and child in the Southern settle
ments an implacable foe of every
thing English. Even the outlaws of
Barataria and of Pearl River, when at
last the test came, took the side OF
the United States in the struggle,
although Justice had set price upon
their heads.
Vasseur betook himself, with all
his movable belongings, to planta-
tion southwest of New Orleans, in
the La Fourche country. He thought
that his slaves would be safe in this
wild, out-of-the-way place, and here,
in the care of an overseer, he left
them, while he, dreaming of nothing
but the recovery of his jewels and re-
venge on Pierre Rameau, went back
to dog the tracks of that intrepid AMI
successful robber and pirate.
Mounted on O strong. spiritedpony,
he made his way into the Pearl River
country and found little trouble in
associating himself, under an assumed
name, with some of the free.and-
easy inhabitants, who were more at
ease on account of crushing defeat
that had befallen their enemies, the
indians.
Like most Of that class OF men who
had sought the remote gulf-coast
region to hide from justice, Vasseur
did not have the least respect for the
legal methods of righting wrongs or
of bringing to punishment those who
did him injury. His nature was re-
vengeful, and the only law he dreamed
of appealing to was that of which he
could appoint himself sole executive.
Small as he was, his strength was
great, and no wolf was more savage
or untiring. Cunning and full of ex.
pedients, sly as fox and quick as
cat, he passed from place to place, at.
tracing little notice, but always
managing to collect, little by little,
information concerning the where
abouts and the doings of the cavaliers
of Honey Island.
(To BE CONTINUED