The Indianapolis journal., 1903-04-27
CHAPTER XL.
VAE VICTIS.


tain it falters still more on coming to the
task of setting forth the tragic horrors of
the dreadful after-night. Wherefore pray
you will hold me excused, my dears if
hasten over the events tripping upon the
heels of the victory touching upon them
only as they touch upon my tale.
But as for the stage setting of the after
scene you may hold in your minds eye the
stony hilltop strewn with the dead and dy-
ing. the huddle of cowed prisoners at the
wagon barricade, the mountainers, mad
with the victor's frenzy. swarming to sur
round us. Twas a clipping from Chaos
and Night gone blood crazed till Sewer and
Isaac Shelby brought somewhat of order
out of 1t, and then came the reckoning.
Of the seven hundred odd prisoners the
greater number were Tories. many of them
red-handed from scenes of rapine In which
their present captors had suffered the loss
of all that men hold dear. So you will not
wonder that there were knives and rifles
shaken aloft and fierce and vengeful coun-
sells in which it was proposed to put the
captives one and all to the cord and tree.
But now again Sewer and Shelby. sec
onded by the fiery Presbyterian. William
Campbell. flung themselves into the breach,
pleading for delay and fair trial for such
as were blood guilty. And so the dismal
night, made chill and comfortless by the
cold wind and most doleful by the groans
and cries of the wounded. wore away and
the dawn of the Sunday found us lying as
we were in the bloody shambles of the hill
top.
With the earliest morning light the burial
PARTIES were at work. and since the stony
battle ground would not lend itself for the
trenching the graves were dug in the wales
below Captain De Peyster begged hard
for leave to bury the brave Ferguson on
the spot where he fell. but twas impossi-
BILE; and now, / am told, the stout old
Scotsman lies side by side with our Major
Will Chronicle, of Meoklenburg. who fell
lust before the ending of the battle.
The dead buried and the wounded cared
for in some rough-and-ready fashion.
preparations were made in all haste for a
speedy withdrawal from the neighborhood
of the battlefield Rumor had Ii that
TarIeton with his invincible legion was
within a few hours march. and the noun
tain men, sodden weary with the tolls Of
the flying advance and the hard-fought
fresh foe.
AS yet had not made myself known to
the patriot commanders, having my hands
and heart full with the care of poor Ty-
bee, who was grievously hurt. and being
in measure Indifferent to what should be-
fall me.
But now as we were about to march I
was dragged. before the committee of
colonels and put to the question.
"Your uniform is a strange one to us,
SIR" said Isaac Shelby, looking me up and
down with that heavy-lidded right eye of
his. Explain your rank and standing, If
you please"
told my story simply, and. as thought.
effectively, and had only black looks for
my pains.
"'Tis a strange tale. surely, sir-too
strange to be believable,' Quoth Shelby.
"You are a traitor, Captain Ireton-of the
kind we need not cumber ourselves with on
a march,
"Who says that word of me?" I de-
manded caring not much for that to which
his threat pointed, but something for my
good name.
Shelby turned and beckoned to a man in
the group behind him "Etand out. John
whittlesey," he directed and found my
self face to face with that rif1eman of
Colonel Davies party who had been so
fierce to hang me at the fording of the
Catawba.
This man gave his testimony briefly, tell
ing but the bare truth. A week earlier I
had passed in Davies camp for a true
blue patriot, this though 1 was wearing
r;f OF fha
AS for the witness himself he had mis-
doubted me all along, but the colonel had
trusted me and had sent me on some secret
mission, the inwardness of which he, John
Whittlesey, had been unable to come at,
though he confessed that he had tried to
worm it out of me before parting company
with me on the road to Charlotte.
1 looked from one to another of my
judges.
IF this be all, gentlemen. the man does
but confirm my story" 1 said.
1T is not ALL said Shelby. "Mr. Pen
sarvin stand forth.
There was another stir in the back
grounding group and the pettifogger edged
his way into the circle, keeping well out
of hand reach of me. How he had made
change sides and to turn up thus serenely
i'm the ranks of the overmountain men
know not TO this DAY nor ever snail know.
Tell these gentlemen what you have
told me-" said Shelby, briefly, and the fac
tor cool and collected now, rehearsed the
undeniable facts: how in Charlotte 1 had
figured as a member of Lord CORVALLIS s
military family; how l had carried my
malignancy to the patriot cause to the
length of throwing a Stanch friend to the
commonwealth. to wit. one Owen Pengar-
vim, into the common Jail; how as Lord
Cornwallis's trusted aid-de-camp / had
been sent with an express to Major Fergu-
SON. Also he suggested that II I should
be searched some proof OF my duplicity
might be found upon me.
At this William Campbell nodded to two
of his Virginians, and was searched forth
with. and that none too gently. In the
breast pocket of my hussar jacket they
found that accursed duplicate dispatch, the
one | had taken from Tybee and which
interview with Major Ferguson.
Isaac Shelby opened and read the accus-
ing letter and passed ii around among his
II shall not ask you why this was un-
delivered, SIR" he said to me, sternly
lis enough that il was found upon your
person and ii sufficiently proves the truth
of this gentleman's accusation. Have you
aught further to say, Captain Ireton-
aught that may excuse US for not leaving
YOU behind us in a halter?"
Do you wonder. my dears, that lost my
head when L saw how completely the tolls
of this little black-clothed fiend had closed
around me? Twice, nay. thrice l tried &c
sneak calmly as the crisis demanded Then
mad rage ran away with me and / burst
ont i'm yelling curses so hot they would
surely dry the ink in the pen were I to
| seek to set them down here.
n xx-fll