47 



* horse, dashed into the woods, and was out of sight before the astonished 

 soldiery had time to fire. This aet of intrepidity happened near the 

 Santee, which river Hunter swam on the mare, nifdiing the best of his 

 wav to tlio American camp, which was then at Wadhoo. This famous 

 mare, after the war, got into the possession of Col. Thomas Porcher, of 

 St. John's, Berkley. 



After the war many inquiries were made about the "Red Doe" by her 

 former owner arvd by those acquainted with her good qualities, and thus 

 her pedigree and performances, when on the Turf, became known. 



We will mention one other instance of the advantage of having been 

 well mounted "in the days that tried men's souls." It is a reminiscence 

 of one of Marion's " meriy men " A^ho escaped, on two occasions, from 

 the British, on a " good steed," when our invaders were ravaging the en- 

 tire Snow's Island country, in the vicinity of the Pee Dee River. The 

 animal alluded to was a well known mare in the neighborliood, called 

 " Roebuck." Her pedigree is not mentioned, but to judge from her tleet- 

 ness and good qualities, the presumption is, she was loell hred, like her 

 owner, coming from a c/ood stock. I will give the incidents exactly as I 

 find them on record in a public journal : 



" He made his escape on his little mare called Roebuck. A great ani- 

 mal was that. 



" In the vicinity of ' Snow's Island ' my grandfather lived, but he and 

 my uncles wei'e gone to the wars, (they were then on -'Snow's Island.") 

 My grandmother was as true a Whig as any of the women of that day, 

 and Captain James, the surest scout of Marion, would usually manage to 

 get there on his return to the island from his night scout, to get a warm 

 breakfast, which he knew always awaited him. The Tories and British, 

 posted thick in the neighborhood, got wind of his movements, and a 

 Captain and squad waylaid him there. Before sunrise the British Cap- 

 tain had his horsemen in their .saddles in the back yard, unperceivable 

 from the front, and the Captain was in the house. A gate, some two 

 hundred yards fronr the house, opened upon an avenue up to the yard. 

 James was always cautious. Riding up to the edge of the piazza, he 

 struck his wdiip upon the floor, as a signal, when out walked the British 

 Captain, with a polite invitation to Captain James to alight. At the 

 same moment a whoop was heard from the rear. At one leap Roebuck 

 was twenty feet from the ])iazza, and flying for the gate, with the squad 

 of liorsemen in close pursuit. But alas ! the gate was shut, and one of 

 the troopers was gaining on him. He reached the gate, with one hand 

 he unloosens the latch, and with tlie other his pistol holds the trooper a 

 moment in check ; he glides through the gate and pulls it to after him, 



