ion which the
enterprise might require, to Colonel Clarke, who, it was known, was at
that time in the upland country of South Carolina, raising troops to act
against Augusta and other British posts. He accordingly arrived at
head-quarters, on the borders of the two Carolinas, in about a week
after leaving the Dove Cote. The army of the brave and unfortunate De
Kalb, which had been originally destined for the relief of Charleston,
had been increased, by reinforcements of militia from Virginia and the
adjoining States, to double the computed strength of the British forces;
and Gates, on taking command of it, was filled with the most lofty
presentiments of victory. Vainglorious and unadvisable, he is said to
have pushed forward with an indiscreet haste, and to have thrown himself
into difficulties which a wiser man would have avoided. He professed
himself to stand in no need of recruits to his army, and Butler,
therefore, after the delay of a few days, was left at liberty to pursue
his original scheme.

The wide-spread disaffection of the region through which our adventurers
were about to pass, inculcated the necessity of the utmost vigilance to
avoid molestation from the numerous parties that were then abroad
hastening to the seat of war. Under the almost entire guidance of
Robinson, who was familiar with every path in this neighborhood,
Butler's plan was to temporize with whatever difficulties might beset
his way, and to rely upon his own and his comrade's address for escape.

The sergeant's first object was to conduct his superior to his own
dwelling, which was situated on the Catawba, a short distance above the
Waxhaws. This was safely accomplished on the second day after they had
left Gates. A short delay at this place enabled Butler to exchange the
dress he had hitherto worn, for one of a more homely and rustic
character, a measure deemed necessary to facilitate his quiet passage
through the country. With these precautions he and the trusty sergeant
resumed their expedition, and now shaped their course across the region
lying between the Catawba and Broad rivers, with the intention of
reaching the habitation of Wat Adair, a well known woodsman who lived on
the southern side of the latter river, somewhat above its confluence
with the Pacolet. The route they had chosen for this purpose consisted
of such circuitous and unfrequented paths as were least likely to be
infested by the scouts of the enemy, or by questioners