Imprinting one long kiss of
affection on her unresisting lips, the soldier tore himself from his
mistress, and hastened to the scene of strife.
Frances threw herself on a sofa, buried her head under its cushion, and
with her shawl drawn over her face, to exclude as much of sound as
possible, continued there until the shouts of the combatants, the
rattling of the firearms, and the thundering tread of the horses
had ceased.
CHAPTER VII
The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit.
--SHAKESPEARE.
The rough and unimproved face of the country, the frequency of covers,
together with the great distance from their own country, and the
facilities afforded them for rapid movements to the different points of
the war, by the undisputed command of the ocean, had united to deter the
English from employing a heavy force in cavalry, in their early efforts
to subdue the revolted colonies.
Only one regiment of regular horse was sent from the mother country,
during the struggle. But legions and independent corps were formed in
different places, as it best accorded with the views of the royal
commanders, or suited the exigency of the times. These were not
unfrequently composed of men raised in the colonies, and at other times
drafts were had from the regiments of the line, and the soldiers were
made to lay aside the musket and bayonet, and taught to wield the saber
and carbine.
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