Dick swore piteously, with the snap-shot skirmishers for a target. "The
fumblers!" he raged. "'Twas the chance of a life-time, and they all
missed like a lot of boys at their first deer stalking!"
"They will have another chance, and that speedily," I ventured; and,
truly, the chance did not tarry.
From our view point on the rising ground we could see the enemy forming
under cover of the wood; and as we looked, the two pieces of cannon
were thrust to the front to bellow out the signal for the assault.
'Twas a sight to stir the blood when the enemy broke cover into the
opener wooding of the field to the tune of the roaring cannon, the
volleyings of small arms and the defiant huzzaings of the men. The sun
was just peering over the summit of Thicketty Mountain, and his level
rays fell first upon the charging line sweeping in like a tidal wave of
red death to crumple our skirmishers before it.
"Lord!" says Richard; "if Yeates and the Indian come alive out of
that--"
But the outliers closed upon our first line in decent good order, firing
as they could; and in less time than it takes to write it down the
onsweeping wave of red was upon the Carolinians. We looked to see the
militia fire and run, home-guard fashion; but these men of Pickens's
were made of more soldierly stuff. They took the fire of the assaulting
line like veterans, giving ground only when it came to the bayonet push.
"That fetches it to us," said Richard, most coolly; drawing his claymore
when the Carolinians began to come home like spindrift ahead of the wave
of red.
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