Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-02-09
HORSE SHOE
ROBINSON
Tale of the Revolutionary Struggle In
Upper Carolina.
BvJOHN p. KENNEDY.
CHAPTER XIV.

Horse Shoe and Butler Resume Their
Journey, Which Is Delayed by a Saw
age incident.
Morning broke, and with the first
day-streak Robinson turned out of
his bed, leaving Butler so thorough
ly bound in the spell Of sleep, that he
was not even moved by the loud and
heavy tramp of the sergeant as that
weighty parsonage donned his clothes.
Horse Shoes first habit in the morn
ing was to look after Captain Peter,
and he accordingly directed his steps
towards the rude shed which served
as q stable at the foot Of the hill.
Here to his surprise, he discovered
that the fence-rails. which the night
before, had been set up as barrier
across the vacant doorway, had been
let down and that no horses were to
be seen about the premises.
What hocus-pocus has been
here ?'' said he to himself, as he gazed
upon the deserted stable. Have
these rummaging and thieving To-
ries been out marauding in the night? ?
or is 1t only one Of Captain Peters
old sodger tricks, letting down bars
and leading young geldings into mis-
chies? That beast can snuff the
scent Of a cornfield or a pasture
ground as far as a crow smells gun
powder. He'd dislocate and corruptify
any innocent stable Of horses in Car
olina!"'
In doubt to which of these causes
to assign this disappearance Of their
cavalry. the sergeant ascended the
hill HARDLY. and directed his eye
over the neighboring fields, hoping to
discover the deserters in some Of the
adjacent pastures. But he could get
no sight of them. He then returned
to the stable and fell to examining the
ground about the door, in order to
learn something Of the departure Of
the animals by their tracks. These
were sufficiently distinct to convince
him that Captain Peter, whose shoes
had a peculiar mark we'll known to
the sergeant, had eloped during the
night, in company with the majors s
gelding and two others, these being
all, as Horse Shoe had observed that
were in the stable at the time he had
retired to bed. He forthwith follow
ed the footprints which led him into
the high road, and thence along 1t
westward for about two hundred
PAGES. where a set of field bars. now
thrown down, afforded entrance into
the cornfleld. At this point the SER
geant traced the deviation Of three
of the horses into the field, whilst the
fourth, it was evident. had continued
upon the road.
The conclusion which Galbraith
drew from this phenomenon was ex-
pressed by a wise shake of the head
and a profound At Of abstraction. He
took his seat upon a projecting rail
at the angle Of the fence, and began
to sum up conjectures in the follow
ing phrase
THE horse that travelled along that
road, never travelled Of his own free
will; that's as clear as preaching.
Well, he want rode by Wat nor by
Mike Lynch. or else they are arlier
men than L take them to be; but still,
I'll take book oath that cretur went
with a bride across his head. and a
pair O. legs astride his back. And
whoever held that bride in his hand,
did 1t for no good! Scampering here
ri n o
woods in the night too, when the
country Is as full Of Tories as a beg
gar's coat with, it's a dogmatical bad
sign, take 1t which way you will.
Them three horses had the majority;
that's an observation I have made;
and, In particular, If there's a corn
field, or piece Of fresh pasture to
be got into, every individual horse is
unanimous on the subject"
Whilst the sergeant was engrossed
with these reflections, "he was ware" D."
as the old ballads have it, of a man
trudging past him along the road.
This was no other than Wat Adair,
who was striding forward with a long
and rapid step, and with all the ap-
pearance Of one intent upon some
pressing business.
Halo! who goes there? where
away so fast, Watt" was Robinson's
challenge.
Horse Shoe!" exclaimed Adair. in
a key that bespoke surprise. and even
alarm,-"Ha, ha, ha,! BY the old
woman's pipe, you frightened me! I'll
swear. Galbraith Robinson, 1 heard
you snoring as passed by your win
dow three minutes ago"
"I'l swear that's not the truest
word you ever spoke in your life
Wat: though true enough for you
mayhap. Do you see how cleverly
yon light has broke across the whole
sky? When l first turned out this
morning it was little ribbon of day;
the burning of block-house at night
ten miles off, would have made a
broader streak. 1t was your owl
snoring you heard. Wat; you have
only forgot under whose window II
was"
What old witch has been pinchins
you. Horse Shoe, that you are up Sc
early?" asked Adair. Get back tt
the house. man. I will be with yol
presently; I have my farm to looi
after, I'll see you presently"
You seem to me to be in yer!
unreasonable hurry, Wat, considering
that you have the day before you
But softly. I'll walk with you, If yol
have no unliking to it,"
mo, no. I'm busy. Galbraith; In
going to look after my traps: I'd rath
er you'd go back to the house an(
hurry breakfast Go! You woul'
only get scratched with briers if yo1
followed me-"
"Ha, ha, ha! Wat! Briers, did yo'
say? Look there, man, do you Sc
them there legs? Do they look
II they couldn't laugh at yourn in an,
sort Of scrambling 1 had mind I
90 nat wit