Next morning, after breakfast, Fritz Schmockenburg and Herbert Miller
said they would go and reconnoiter the enemy’s position, and see what
they were doing.
“Be careful,” said Mr. Santon. “Don’t run into any of the enemy’s
traps.”
“We will be careful,” said Miller.
“Yah, ve von’t let dem gatch us,” confidently rejoined Fritz.
So they said good-by, took their departure, and in about twenty minutes
were close enough to the British to see that all was quiet in the
encampment.
The redcoats were sitting around, talking and taking it easy, and did
not seem to have any fear of being attacked, for they did not have any
sentinels posted. Doubtless they had not yet learned that a patriot
regiment was in the vicinity.
“They’re going to stay there and watch the path, and keep the patriot
settlers from leaving the swamp,” determined Miller. “Doubtless the
settlers have not very much in the way of food supplies with them on the
island, and the redcoats figure on starving them out.”
“Yah, dot is der vay uf id, I bet you,” said Fritz.
Miller was silent and thoughtful a few minutes, and then said: “I wonder
if there is another path leading to the swamp?”
“Uf der vos, der patriot seddlers could leave der island,” said the
Dutch soldier.
“There might be a path reaching almost to the island,” said Miller. “The
path might not be seen from the island, and yet might be reached by
making a bridge of a fallen tree, and if that were the case, the
settlers could escape.”
“Ve mighd loog for der path, alretty,” said Fritz. “Ve haf nothing else
to do.”
“All right, that is what we will do, Fritz. Come.”
They moved slowly and cautiously away, and presently reached the edge of
the swamp at a point about a half of a mile from the encampment of the
British soldiers. The intervening trees and bushes made it impossible
for the redcoats to see them.
They then started along the edge of the shore of the swamp, and kept a
sharp lookout for any sign of a solid path. They went slowly, so as to
be sure and not by any possibility overlook what they were in search of.
On they went, keeping their eyes on the shoreline, and they had gone
perhaps a mile further, when they suddenly came to a point where there
was a path leading into the swamp.
“Here is a starting point,” called Miller, “but how far it extends into
the swamp it is impossible to say.”
“Ve vill soon find ouid,” said Fritz.
“Yes, come along, Fritz. I’ll take the lead, as I am lighter and more
active than you.”
“All righd.”
They started into the swamp, and proceeded slowly and cautiously. The
path crooked this way and that, winding and twisting about, but
gradually extending deeper and deeper into the swamp, and the two felt
encouraged to proceed.
“Mebby ve reach der island afder awhile,” said Fritz.
“Yes, I hope that we may be able to do so,” was the reply. “Or at any
rate, I hope that we may get close enough so that the intervening space
may be bridged over.”
“Yah, dot vould be all righd.”
On they went, slowly and carefully. At some points the path was not more
than a foot in width, but so long as they had that much solid ground
under their feet they were well pleased.
On and still on into the swamp they went, and when they had penetrated a
quarter of a mile, and had stopped a few minutes, to rest and try to
figure out the continuation of the path, they suddenly heard a voice
calling, it seemed, for help.
“Did you hear that?” exclaimed Miller, in excitement.
“Yah, somebody is lost der schwamp in, alretty,” replied Fritz.
“Right. And likely it is one of the men from the settlers’ party.
Possibly one is trying to reach the mainland, and has got as far as he
can--or has fallen into the bog; and is in danger of losing his life.”
“Maybe dot is der vay uf id,” said Fritz.
“Let us hurry on,” said Miller. “Perhaps the path we are on will take us
close to the poor fellow, and we may be able to render him some
assistance.”
“Maybe so,” agreed Fritz. “You lead der vay, Misder Miller, und I vill
keep up mit you uf I gan.”
So they hastened onward, moving through the swamp as swiftly as
possible, and soon the voice came to them louder and plainer, and Fritz
uttered an exclamation:
“I think dot voice sounds lige der voice uf Dick Dare, alretty,” he
said.
“Do you think so?” asked Miller.
“Yah, I am sure uf id.”
“Then he has tried to make his way through the swamp and has fallen into
the bog, likely, and unless we get to him pretty soon, and render him
assistance, he may sink beneath the surface and be smothered to death.”
“Let us hurry, then, Misder Miller. I don’d vos vant Dick to ged choked
mit der bog, alretty.”
They hastened onward, making, for Fritz, wonderfully fast progress, and
a few minutes later they caught sight of someone up nearly to his
arm-pits in the bog. And at sight of him an exclamation escaped the lips
of Fritz.
“Id is Dick!” he cried. “Und he is avay down in der bog. Ve must save
him, Misder Miller.” Then he lifted up his voice and called out loudly:
“Dick! Dick Dare! Here ve are. Ve haf gome to hellup you ouid.”
Dick looked in their direction, and caught sight of them. “Good for you,
Fritz, old comrade,” he cried, eagerly. “Hurry and get over here as
close as possible, and help me out of this.”
“Ve are goming, Dick,” said Fritz. “Lead on, Misder Miller.”
“I’ll do the best I can.”
Miller advanced as swiftly as he could, following the winding of the
path, but suddenly he found that there was no continuation. He had
reached the end of the stretch of solid earth. And they were still
twenty-five or thirty yards from Dick Dare.
“This is as far as the path extends, Mr. Dare,” said Miller, a
disappointed tone to his voice. “What shall we do?”
“I hardly know, stranger,” was the reply.
“If you had a rope to throw to me, you could pull me out; but you have
no rope?”
“No. This is a difficult proposition, sure. But we must reach you and
get you out of there, somehow.”
“Yes, and you will have to hurry, for I don’t like this situation at
all.”
“Have you anything to suggest?” asked Miller.
“The best plan, to my mind, would be to climb from tree to tree, till
you reach this one nearest to me, and then perhaps you can break off a
limb and reach it down to me.”
“I’ll try that, Mr. Dare.”