ition and immediate
presence of his force--the terror inspired by his successes--the
knowledge which they had of his mercy, and their evident abandonment by
the British--had the effect of bringing crowds to his camp, trebling the
number of his own troops, seeking the proffered securities. Such was
the consumption of paper on this occasion, or rather such the poverty at
headquarters, that old letters were torn up, the backs of which were put
in requisition for this object. While at Birch's mills, on the Pedee,
among others who sought the protection of Marion was one Capt. Butler,
who had made himself particularly odious by his crimes and ferocity.
He had been conspicuous as the oppressor of the Whig inhabitants of the
Pedee. He was not ignorant of the detestation in which he was held, and
it was with some misgivings that he sought the required protection. His
appearance in the American camp was the signal for a commotion. There
were among the men of Marion some who were connected with persons who
had suffered by the atrocities of Butler. They determined to avenge
their friends. They resolved that no protection should save him, and an
intemperate message to that effect was sent to Marion. Marion instantly
took Butler to his own tent, and firmly answered those by whom the
message was brought: "Relying on the pardon offered, the man whom you
would destroy has submitted. Both law and honor sanction my resolution
to protect him with my life." A still more intemperate message reached
him, declaring that "Butler should be dragged to death from his
tent--that to defend such a wretch was an insult to humanity." To this
Marion made no reply, but calling around him the members of his family,
and some of his most trusty followers, he gave them to understand that
he should expect their cooperation at all hazards in protecting the
culprit from violence. "Prepare to give me your assistance, for though
I consider the villainy of Butler unparalleled, yet, acting under orders
as I am, I am bound to defend him. I will do so or perish." The mutiny
threatened to be formidable, and that night, Marion succeeded with a
strong guard in conveying the prisoner to a place of safety. The treaty
with Gainey put an end to the domestic feuds upon the Pedee, and anxious
to regain the local confidence which they had forfeited, numbers of
the loyalists of this quarter, following the example of their leader,
entered the ranks of the Americans, and though too