-easy customers. Damn
them, I am sick of these gawky, long-legged, half-civilized recruits!
but I shall take a course with them yet. What news, old boy? What have
you to tell of the rebels? Where is my pretty fellow, Clarke?"

"Clarke is still in the woods," replied M'Alpine. "It would take good
hounds to track him."

"And Cruger, I hope, has nose enough to follow. So, the cunning Indian
hunter will be caught at last! We have him safe now, M'Alpine. There is
but one path for the fox to come out of the bush, and upon that path
Patrick Ferguson has about as pretty a handful of mischievous imps as
ever lapped blood. The slinking runaway never reaches the other side of
the mountains while I am awake. With Cruger behind him--our line of
posts upon his right--the wild mountains, as full of Cherokees as
squirrels, upon his left--and these devils of mine right before him--we
have him in a pretty net. Who have you here, captain?"

"Some stray rebel game, that I picked up on my road, as I came from
Ninety-Six. This gentleman, I learn, is Major Butler of the Continental
army, and these others, some of his party."

"So, ho, more rebels! damn it, man," exclaimed the commandant, "why do
you bring them to me? What can I do with them"--then dropping his voice
into a tone of confidential conference, he added, "but follow the
fashion and hang them? I have got some score of prisoners already--and
have been wishing that they would cut some devilish caper, that I might
have an excuse for stringing them up, to get clear of them. A major in
the regular Continental line, sir?" he asked, addressing himself to
Butler.

Butler bowed his head.

"I thought the cuffs your people got at Camden had driven everything
like a daylight soldier out of the province. We have some skulking
bush-fighters left--some jack-o'-lantern devils, that live in the swamps
and feed on frogs and water-snakes--Marion and Sumpter, and a few of
their kidney: but you, sir, are the first regular Continental officer I
have met with. What brought you so far out of your latitude?"

"I was on my way to join one," replied Butler, "that but now you seemed
to think in severe straits."

"Ha! to visit Clarke, eh? Well, sir, may I be bold to ask, do you know
where that worshipful gentleman is to be found?"

"I am free to answer you," said Butler, "that his position, at this
moment, is entirely unknown to me. On my journey I heard the report that
he had been constrained to aba