In the night a dash
would be made through the dangerous defile at Turtle
Creek; and, if the high broken country at this point
could be passed without mishap, the rest of the way could
be easily won.
At daylight the troops were up and off. It was an
oppressively hot August morning, and no breath of wind
stirred the forest. Over the rough road trudged the long
line of sweltering men. In advance were the scouts; then
followed several light companies of the Black Watch; then
the main body of the little army; and in the rear came
the toiling pack-horses. Until noon the soldiers marched,
panting and tortured by mosquitoes, but buoyed up by the
hope that at Bushy Run they would be able to quench their
burning thirst and rest until nightfall. By one o'clock
in the afternoon they had covered seventeen miles and
were within a mile and a half of their objective point.
Suddenly in their front they heard the sharp reports of
muskets; the firing grew in intensity: the advance-guard
was evidently in contact with a considerable body of
Indians. Two light companies were rushed forward to their
support, and with fixed bayonets cleared the path. This,
however, was but a temporary success. The Indians merely
changed their position and appeared on the flanks in
increased numbers.
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