conditional." To an inquiry, whether the
inhabitants were to be allowed to remain upon their plantations, he was
answered in the negative. "His Majesty," said Ardesoif, "offers you
a free pardon, of which you are undeserving, for you all ought to be
hanged; but it is only on condition that you take up arms in his cause."
James, whom we may suppose to have been very far from relishing the tone
and language in which he was addressed, very coolly replied, that
"the people whom he came to REPRESENT, would scarcely submit on such
conditions." The republican language of the worthy Major provoked the
representative of Royalty. The word 'represent', in particular, smote
hardly on his ears; something, too, in the cool, contemptuous manner
of the Major, may have contributed to his vexation. "REPRESENT!" he
exclaimed in a fury--"You d----d rebel, if you dare speak in such
language, I will have you hung up at the yard-arm!" Ardesoif, it must
be known, was a sea captain. The ship which he commanded lay in the
neighboring river. He used only a habitual form of speech when he
threatened the "yard-arm", instead of the tree. Major James gave him no
time to make the correction. He was entirely weaponless, and Ardesoif
wore a sword; but the inequality, in the moment of his anger, was unfelt
by the high-spirited citizen. Suddenly rising, he seized upon the chair
on which he had been sitting, and floored the insolent subordinate at a
blow; then hurrying forth without giving his enemy time to recover, he
mounted his horse, and made his escape to the woods before pursuit could
be attempted.

His people were soon assembled to hear his story. The exactions of the
British, and the spirit which James had displayed, in resenting the
insolence of Ardesoif, at once aroused their own. Required to take the
field, it did not need a moment to decide "under which king". The result
of their deliberations was the formation of "Marion's Brigade". Four
captains were chosen for as many companies. These were, Captains William
M'Cottry, Henry Mouzon, John James (of the Lake, a cousin of Major
James), and John M'Cauley. These were all under the one command of our
representative to Ardesoif. He instantly put them into motion, and,
after some petty successes against small parties of British and Tories,
he advanced one of the four companies, M'Cottry's, to the pass of
Lynch's Creek, at Witherspoon's Ferry. Here M'Cottry heard of Col.
Tarleton, and proceeded to enco