The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-26

There was but small body Of them,
not above a thousand men in ALL SO the
spies said. and my heart misgaye me. They
we're without cannon and they lacked bayo-
nets: and moreover. when all was said. they
were but militia, all untried save in border
warfare with the Indians. Could they sue
cessfully assault tho fortified camp whose
Observation-Disclosures to the Majors ingenuity
had fitted butcher-knives to tho muzzles
| Of their guns in lieu OF bayonets? Nay,
rather would they have the courage to try?
Twas late in the afternoon before these
questions wero answered. The rain had
ceased. and the chill October sunlight FL
, tered aslant through the trees. With tho
clearing skies a cold wind had sprung up
and on the hilltop the men covered behind
| the rock breastwork and waited In strained
silence. AT the last moment Major Fergu-
| son sent Captain de Peyster to me with the
request that I take command Of the Tory
| force set apart to defend the wagon bar
ricade-this II my WEAKNESS would permit
went with the Captain to mako my ex-
cuses in person.
Say no more. Captain" said this gen
erous soldier. when / began some lame plea
for further exemption: II had forgot your
sword-cut Take shelter for yourself and
| look on whilst we skin this riffraff alive"
| And he let gne off: a favor which will
make me think kindly Of Patrick Ferguson
so long as 1 shall live. For now my work
was done: and had he insisted. I should
| have told him fatty who and what / was
and paid the penalty.
I had scarce rejoined Tybee at the wagons
when the long roll OF the drums broke
the silence OF the hilltop. and a volley FIRE
of musketry from the rock breastwork on
the right told US the battle was on. Tybee
gave me one last reproachful look and stood
out to see what could be seen, and stood
with him.
Your friends are running" he said, when
there was no reply to the opening voIley.
and truly, feared he was right. At the
bottom Of the slope scattering groups Of the
rifiemen could be seen fastening to right
| and left. But would not admit the charge
| to Tybee.
81 think not" I objected. denying the
apparent fact. 'They have come too far
| and too fast to turn back now for single
! overshot volley.'
But they'll never face the fire up the hill
| with the bayonet to cap it at the top" he
| insisted.
THAT remains to be seen; we shall know
presently. All. 1 thought SO: here they
| Gomez
| At the word the forest-covered steep at
our end Of the hill sprang alive with dun
clad figures darting upward from tree to
tree. Volley after yolley Numbered down
upon them as they climbed. but not once
did the lodging charge up the slope pause
| or falter. Unlike all other irregulars l had
| ever seen, whose Idea of battle Is to let
| off the piece and run, these mountain men
| held their fire like veterans closing in upon
| the hilltop steadily and in a grim silence
broken only by the shouting encourage
ments of the leaders-this until their cir
| cling line was completed.
Then suddenly from all sides Of the be-
leaguered camp arose yell to shake the
stoutest courage, and with that the wood
covered slopes began to spit fire. not in
volleys, but here and there in irregular
| snappings and cracklings as the sure-shot
rifemen saw mark to pull trigger on
The effect Of this 6ne-bead target practice
for it was naught else-was most terrific.
All along the breastwork. front and rear.
crouching men sprang UP at the rife crack
| ings to fling their arms all abroad and to
fall writing and wrestling in the death
! throe. At our end OF the hill. where the
rock barrier was thinnest, the slaughter
was appalling. and above the din of the
firearms we could hear the beloved COM
mands of the sturdy old Indian fighter,
Benjamin Cleavelaud. urging his men I'D to
| still closer quarters. "A little nearer. my
| brave boys; little nearer and we have
them! Press on up to the rocks. They'll
be as good breastwork from our side as
| from theirsv'
You Will read In the histories that tho
| Tory helpers Of Ferguson fought as men
| with halters round their necks; and SO, in
deed. a-many of them did. But though they
| were most pitiless enemies of ours. I bear
| them witness that they did fight well and
bravely. and not as men who fight for
, fears sake.
And they were most bravely differed.
Major Ferguson. boldly conspicuous in a
| white linen hunting-shirt drawn on over his
uniform, was here and there and every
| where. and always in the place where the
! bullets flew thickest. His left hand had
been hurt at the first patriot gun fire, but it
still held the silver whistle to his lips, and
the shrtll skirling Of the little pipa was tia