iew of
the enemy.

Horse Shoe, at the same moment, drew a pistol, cocked it, and throwing
the rein of St. Jermyn's horse into the hands of the rider, he cried
out:--

"Back across the branch and into the woods! Push for it, or you are a
dead man! On, on!" he added, as he rode at high speed immediately beside
the ensign; "a stumble, or a whisper above your breath, and you get the
bullet. Fly--your life is in your horse's heels!"

The resolute tone of the sergeant had its effect upon his prisoner, who
yielded a ready obedience to the pressing orders, and bounded into the
thicket with as much alacrity as if flying from an enemy.

Meanwhile, the troopers, struck with the earnest haste of one whose
dress bespoke a British officer, speeding across the field, did not
doubt that they had afforded this timely opportunity for the escape of a
prisoner from the hands of the Whigs.

"Wheel up, lads," shouted the leader of the squad, "it is the ensign!
Wheel up and form a platoon to cut off the pursuit. We have him safe out
of their clutches!"

Impressed with the conviction that a considerable force of Whig cavalry
were at hand, the troopers directed all their efforts to cover what they
believed Ensign St. Jermyn's retreat, and were now seen formed into a
platoon, and moving towards the middle of the plain, in such a manner as
to place themselves between the fugitive and his supposed pursuers. Here
they delayed a few minutes, as if expecting an attack; until finding
that the object of their solicitude had safely crossed the field and
plunged into the distant woods, they rode away at a rapid pace in the
same direction. When they reached the further extremity of the open
ground, they halted for an instant, turned their eyes back towards the
spot of their first discovery, and, finding that no attempt was made to
follow, gave a hearty huzza, and rode onward in search of their prize.

The stratagem had completely succeeded: Ramsay had escaped, and Horse
Shoe had withdrawn his prisoner into the neighboring wood upon the hill,
where he was able to observe the whole scene. After a brief interval,
the sergeant resumed his journey, and, with all necessary
circumspection, bent his steps towards the river, where he arrived
without molestation, and thence he continued his march in the direction
of the rendezvous.

John Ramsay did not stop until he had crossed the Saluda and advanced a
considerable distance on the opposite bank, where, t