FRANCIS MARION 



341 



A Hero of 

 Romance 



to win the state to the British side. To drive Marion out 

 of the country was a favourite object of the British, and 

 in 1781 a thoroughly organized attempt was made to des- 

 troy or disperse liis now noted Brigade, which was held to 

 be invincible. The story of the way Marion led the enemy 

 into ambuscades and defeated them, though he was prac- 

 tically without ammunition, forms one of the stirring in- 

 cidents of a war full of surprises and heroism. Comiug 

 later under direct command of General Greeue, to the end 

 of the war Marion continued his distinguished services. 

 Illustrious among the patriot soldiery are the French 

 Protestants of South Carolina, to whom it was given by 

 the fortunes of the War for Independence to play an im- 

 portant part. 



Ill 



To Marion and his surroundings in the swamp we are 

 introduced in the historical romances of William Gilmore 

 Simms. Discounting the romance sufficiently, let us 

 penetrate the Cypress with one of his heroes, and after 

 honrs of hard riding through thicket and morass, perhaps 

 splashed with water and torn by the undergrowth, we 

 shall find ourselves admitted to the famous camp of 

 Marion. From the time of our entrance into the swamp, 

 scouts and sentries have been safely passed at intervals 

 along the way, the guide elected of our faucy answering 

 sundry hootiugs of owls and familiar whistlings with 

 satisfactory repetitions of the same. "Owls abroad?" 

 has been the challenge of some coon-skin-covered head ^^^"^p 

 thrust out at us from the bushes, to which the responsive 

 " Owls at home ! " has been promptly given. And when, 

 on nearer approach, the demand is made, ''What owl 

 hoots'?" the due answer has been forthcoming ; until at 

 last we are permitted to dismount. 



At once we become conscious of a little world out here 

 in the woods by itself. In a hollow, the better to hide the 

 flames, the party has built its fires, about which, in vary- 

 ing degrees of activity or repose, are grouped the hunted 



Picture of the 



