Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-05
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A Romance Of the American Revolution
By w. GILMORES SIMMS
CHAPTER XxXIII.


grateful employment. The business
Of life calls for progress rather than
repose; for perseverance rather than
contemplation. The repose Is needed
for renovation, and in itself, as an IN
terval from action, implies the pres
ence Of the duty to be done. Contem-
plation itself Is simply an essential 10
proper action; preparative wholly, SO
that design shall not be crudely con-
ceiyed, and performance rendered
rash and incomplete The play or ex-
istence yibrates between two extremes
which vet cooperate in their results
We are not to fly heedlessly and for
ever. no matter how much OF the race
horse may be in our temperament; so,
equally must IL be fatal TO proper lie
to fling ourselves down beside the
highway and only contemplate Ine
performances in which we do not seek
to share.
For us, 1t Is enough that We have
fingered for a moment, to muse over
sacred memories, and restore halr-
obliterated inscriptions. Contenting
ourselves with having cast our tribute
flower upon the grave of the beautiful
and peaceful, we must hurry away 10
the encounter with the fearful and
the Wild We must exchange, for a
season, peace for war, love for strife,
and the beautiful for the terrible and
dread;-striving, in obedience to wild
necessities, II not to forget at least not
improvidently to remember. And now
to our narrative.
The hot chase over, which Proctor
had urged after Singleton, the latter,
accompanied by his uncle, now talrly
out, returned quickly to the shelter or
the cypress swamp. The party reach
ed its wild recesses at late hour OF
the night, and were very soon wrapt
in those slumbers, which were as nec-
essary as grateful after late excite
ment and fatigue.
With the dawn, however, Colonel
Walton was on the alert. Arousing
his little troops, he prepared at once
to depart. Unencumbered with bag
gage wagons or prisoners, movement
was easy; and he resolved to push for
ward with extra speed, making his
way to the borders Of North Carolina,
where 1t was his hope to meet with
the continentals of Maryland and Vir-
ginia, then known to be advancing un-
der the conduct of Baron De Kalb.
His own force was quite too small for
a distinct command, and he proposed
to unite himself with some one or the
corps, most deficient in numbers, In
the incomplete squadrons OF the south
ern army. His personal services he
resolved to volunteer to Gates, whom
he had known in Virginia prior to the
war, and between whom and himself
there had once existed a certain inti-
macy. He did not suffer himself to
doubt, under these circumstances, that
he should receive an honorable ap-
pointment near the generals person.
The squadron Of Singleton was not
able to move with such rapidity as
that Of Walton. TT had, in a few days
practice along the Ashley, been accu-
mulating the impedimenta OF war,
baggage and prisoners. There were
munitions too, of no small Importance
to the partisans Of Marion-powder
and ball and buckshot-a few stacks
of extra muskets and some spare RI
fes-all Of which required precious
painstaking, nice handling, strong
guard. and comparatively slow move
ments Singleton, accordingly. resolv-
ed to defer his movement to later
moment But the preparations for
Walton's departure naturally aroused
the whole camp. and the troopers gen.
orally turned out to take leave OF
their friends and comrades.
Among those who rose early that
morning, we must not forget to dis
tinguish Lieuteant Porgy. But II
would be mistake to suppose that he
was stirred into activity at the dawn
by any mere sentiment, such as
prompts youth, in lis verdancy, TO
forego its pleasant 81 -mbers, in order
to take a farewell grip Of the hand of
parting friends. and mediate, with no
appetite for breakfast, on ruptured
ties and sundered associations. Por-
gys sentiment took somewhat diner
ent direction. He had survived that
green season of the heart, when 1t de-
lights in the things which make 1t sad
His sentiment dealt in solids. He
might be pathetic in soups and sauces;
but never when a thinning camp IN
creases the resources of the larder. He
rose that morning to other considera-
tions than such as were involved In
Walton's departure; though. nc doubt,
the hustle of that evening had con
tributed to his early rising. His
dreams. all night, had been a mixed
vision OF terrapin. 1t foated in all
shapes and aspects before his delight
ed imagination. At first, his lively
imagination re-enacted to his sight the
scene in which he had become the sue
cessful captor of the prey. There was
the picture Of the sluggish water, be-
meath the silent starlight. There, jut-
ting out from the bank, was the fallen
tree; and snug, and safe, and sweet in
the imperfect light, there were group
ed victims, utterly unconscious, and
browsing to their doom. even as his
eyes had seen them, some six or eight
hours before. Nothing could seem
distinct and natural. Then followed
his experience in the capture. How
he "cooned" the log, slowly but surely
wearing upon his prey. he again prac-
ticed in his dreaming mood. How.
one by one, he felt himself again Sc
curing them, turning them upon their
backs, and showing their yellow bel
lies to the starlight; while their feet
padded Intellectually on either side,
and their long necks were thrust
forth in a manifest dislike of the for
tune which put them in such unnatu-
raj position. Porgy experienced an
Illusion, very common to old hsher-
men, in being suffered to re-enact in
his dreams the peculiar successes
which had crowned his labors by
day. AS the angler then goes through
the whole adventure with the cunning
trout-beguiles him with the favorite
fly, dexterously made to settle over
his. reedy or rocky retreat-as ne
PLAYS him from side to side, now gent
lv persuades him with moderate ten
sion Of his line. now relaXes when the
strain threatens to be too rude. and at
length feels his tolls crowned with vic
tory, in the adroit effort which spreads
his captive on the bank:-even so did
the pleasant servitors of Queen Nab
bring to the fancieS or our epicure a
full repetition of all the peculiarities
of his adventure.
Put the visions of our fat friend
were not confined to the mere taking
of his victims. His imagination car
ried him further; and he was soon
busted in the work of dressing them
for the table. The very dismember-
ing Of the captives-the breaking into
their houses. the dragging forth OF the
precious cOntentS-the spectacle OF
crowding eggs and generous collops OF
luxurious swamp-fed meat; all of
these gave exercise in turn to his cpl
curean fancies: nor must we forget
the various caprices Of his genius,
while preparing the several dishes out
of the prolific mess before him. He
awoke from his dream, crying out
Eureka" and resolved soberly to put
some of his sleep devices to the test OF
actual experiment. OF course. he does
not forget the compound of terrapin
with pig. which he has already declar-
ed his purpose to achieve: but he has
other inventions even superior to this;
and. full of the one subject. the pro-
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