just before the day, and that's a comfortable old saying."

By degrees John Ramsay fell into a calmer temper, and now began to cast
about as to the course fit to be pursued in their present emergency.
About a quarter of a mile distant, two or three negro cabins were
visible, and he could descry a few children near the doors. With an
eager haste, therefore, he and the sergeant shaped their course across
the field to this spot. When they arrived within fifty paces of the
nearest hovel, the door was set ajar, and a rifle, thrust through the
aperture, was aimed at the visitors.

"Stand for your lives!" shouted the well known voice of David Ramsay. In
the next instant the door was thrown wide open, the weapon cast aside,
and the father rushed forward as he exclaimed, "Gracious God, my boy and
Horse Shoe Robinson! Welcome, lads; a hundred times more welcome than
when I had better shelter to give you! But the good friends of King
George, you see, have been so kind as to give me a call. It is easy to
tell when they take it in their head to visit a Whig."

"My mother!" exclaimed John Ramsay.

"In and see her, boy--she wants comfort from you. But, thank God! she
bears this blow better than I thought she could."

Before this speech was uttered John had disappeared.

"And how came this mishap to fall upon you, David?" inquired Horse Shoe.

"I suppose some of your prisoners," replied Ramsay, "must have informed
upon Andy and me: for in the retreat of Innis's runaways, a party came
through my farm. They stayed only long enough to ransack the house, and
to steal whatever was worth taking; and then to set fire to the dwelling
and all the out-buildings. Both Andy and myself, by good luck, perhaps,
were absent, or they would have made us prisoners: so they turned my
wife and children out of doors to shift for themselves, and scampered
off as fast as if Williams was still at their heels. All that was left
for us was to crowd into this cabin, where, considering all things, we
are not so badly off. But things are taking an ill turn for the country,
Horse Shoe. We are beaten on all sides."

"Not so bad, David, as to be past righting yet," replied the sergeant.
"What have they done with Major Butler?"

"He was carried, as I learned, up to Blackstock's, the evening of the
fight; and yesterday it was reported that a party has taken him back to
Musgrove's. I believe he is now kept close prisoner in Allen's house.
Christopher Shaw was