This message was given by a servant at the governor's headquarters; my father had seen neither the governor, his secretary, nor Fanning.
There was no little grumbling because we were thus kept waiting when the truce was for twenty hours only; but never a man dreamed of breaking his word. Such perfidy as that was left for his excellency, William Tryon, he who claimed to be the king's honorable representative.
My mother had gone home; she went away the afternoon previous when the women and children were asked to leave the vicinity, and as we waited for that message which was so long delayed, I was truly thankful she had not remained, for it came into my mind that there would be a troublous, rather than a peaceful, ending.
The sun was no more than half an hour high in the heavens when we saw one who appeared to be a servant, come out of the governor's house and walk swiftly toward the ford.
It did not seem possible Tryon would send other than one of his officers on a mission to the Regulation, and yet I believed that now was come the time when we were to hear from his excellency.
The man halted at the opposite bank of the river, unfolded a huge document, and began reading that which told us to what a depth of infamy William Tryon was willing to descend in order to carry his point.
CHAPTER XII.
THE PROCLAMATION.
It can well be understood with what eagerness we listened to the messenger as he read from the paper in a loud tone; but he remained at such a distance that I found it impossible to catch every word, although the general purport was made sufficiently plain.
The fellow, whom we afterward came to know was one of the clerks from the sheriff's office, regaled us with a high-sounding proclamation from the governor, in which his excellency graciously pardoned all the Regulators save thirteen, whose names were twice repeated in order that there should be no mistake.
I set them down here that the world may know who were the patriots of upper Carolina in the opinion of William Tryon: