'Twas this desire that finally drew me to her--the desire and another
thing which shall have mention in its place. The new year was now come,
and the Southern Army, as yet too weak to cope with the enemy, was cut
into two wings of observation; one under General Greene himself at
Cheraw Hill, the other and lesser in the knoll forests of the Broad with
Daniel Morgan for its chief; both watching hawk-like the down-sitting of
my Lord Cornwallis, who seemed to have taken root at Winnsborough.
As you will know, Washington's light-horse was with Morgan; and we ate,
drank and well-nigh slept in the saddle. But for all our scoutings and
outridings, and all Dan Morgan's hearty cursings at the ill success of
them, we could come by no sure inkling of Lord Cornwallis's designs. As
I have said, the British commander seemed to have taken root and was now
waiting to sprout and grow.
It was at this lack-knowledge crisis that I volunteered to go to the
British camp at Winnsborough in my old quality of spy; did this and had
my leave and orders before Dick learned of it.
Left to my own devices, I fear I should have slipped away without
telling Jennifer. But, as so many times before, fate intervened to drive
me where I had not meant to go. On the morning set for my departure I
woke to find a letter pinned to the ground beside me with an Indian
scalping-knife thrust through it.
Dick was sitting by the newly-kindled fire, nursing his knees and most
palpably waiting for me to wake and find my missive.
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