On arriving near the gates of the Locusts, the
trooper halted his party, and made his arrangements for the assault.
Dismounting, he ordered eight of his men to follow his example, and
turning to Hollister, said,--
"Stand you here, and guard the horses; if anything attempt to pass, stop
it, or cut it down, and--"
The flames at this moment burst through the dormer windows and cedar
roof of the cottage, and a bright light glared on the darkness of the
night. "On!" shouted the trooper "on!--give quarter when you have
done justice!"
There was a startling fierceness in the voice of the trooper that
reached to the heart, even amid the horrors of the cottage. The leader
of the Skinners dropped his plunder, and, for a moment, he stood in
nerveless dread; then rushing to a window, he threw up the sash; at this
instant Lawton entered, saber in hand, into the apartment.
"Die, miscreant!" cried the trooper, cleaving a marauder to the jaw; but
the leader sprang into the lawn, and escaped his vengeance. The shrieks
of the females restored Lawton to his presence of mind, and the earnest
entreaty of the divine induced him to attend to the safety of the
family. One more of the gang fell in with the dragoons, and met his
death; but the remainder had taken the alarm in season.
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