My heart literally stood still for the time being, because even a lad unused to warfare knew beyond a question that should these men learn where we were hidden the end would come speedily.
I hardly dared to breathe, lest by so doing an alarm be given, and yet although fifty horses were concealed either side the road, not a sound was heard to betoken their whereabouts.
The regiment marched by; then came the Tory command under Major Harrison, which I believe was even more in numbers than Major Wemyss' men, and after them, more than a thousand yards in the rear, twenty Tory stragglers.
The major, my uncle, was stationed on the opposite side of the road from where Percy and I stood, and we had no knowledge whatsoever of his movements.
When these rascally traitors to their country lounged along, evidently believing themselves safe because of the large force in advance, the thought came into my mind that it would be a proper ending to our reconnoissance if we set upon them suddenly.
This idea had no more than come into my mind when we heard a crashing noise from the opposite side of the road, and immediately the major appeared, followed by all who had remained with him, and we needed no other signal.
In a twinkling, as it were, the Tory stragglers were surrounded, and perhaps no more than sixty seconds elapsed before each man of them had been disarmed and was mounted behind one of our troop.
Then it can readily be understood that we put spurs to our horses, striking through the wooded country to the left in order to circle around the main body of the enemy, and the frightened prisoners had an opportunity of knowing that we raised good stock in Williamsburg district, for in less than an hour we were come to the Sinclair plantation.
The information for which we had sent was gained, and, in addition, we had twenty disconsolate-looking prisoners, who by this time had come to know that the Cause of freedom in the Carolinas was not yet wholly crushed out.
The renegades were herded into a stable, and, to the surprise of us all, no order was given to dismount.