The Settlers’ Retreat
Tom Dare realized that he was indeed in great danger, for the rocks
would be as likely to strike him as not, if he accompanied the redcoats,
and it looked as if he would have to accompany them.
Slowly the time rolled away, and when the British reinforcements, to the
number of about seventy-five, reached there, it was decided to start at
once for the valley.
They could reach there easily before evening, they felt certain. So they
set out, with Tom among them.
As they entered upon the path that led along the foot of the mountain,
Tom looked upward quickly, as if expecting to see some of the stones
come rolling down upon them.
If the settlers did not know he was with the redcoats, they would soon
begin rolling the stones down, and Tom did not like the idea of being
there among the British.
They continued onward perhaps two hundred yards, and then Tom looked
upward again, an apprehensive expression on his face, and one of the
soldiers, noticing this, glanced upward a moment later, a look of
curiosity on his face. The look quickly changed to one of terror,
however, and he yelled, loudly: “Look out for the rock, comrades! Be
ready to dodge!” and he pointed up the mountainside.
His comrades, and Tom also, glanced upward and saw a big rock coming
bounding down the steep descent. It was now not more than one hundred
yards distant, and coming with the speed of the wind. Down it came,
leaping, bounding, rolling, and the next moment it struck in the midst
of the soldiers, knocking a couple of them down, and causing the others
to tumble over one another in their attempts to get out of the stone’s
course.
“So that is what you were looking upward for, eh?” cried the redcoat who
had noted Tom’s action and who had glanced upward and seen the rock
coming. “The rebels have piled stones along the top of the precipice,
comrades, and they’ll annihilate our party if we try to make our way
along this path to the valley.”
“There comes another rock!” yelled another soldier at that moment, and
there was a lively scrambling to get out of the rock’s course.
They managed to keep from getting hit, this time, but realized that if
they continued onward along the path, they would be crushed and knocked
to pieces by the stones, and so the lieutenant gave the order to
retreat, and the soldiers hastened back along the path, to the point
they had left only a short time before.
Here they paused, and held a council. It was decided to ascend to the
top of the precipice and attack the settlers there, if they stood their
ground and showed fight.
“We can reach the valley by going that way,” said the lieutenant.
So they set out, and made their way slowly up the steep ascent leading
to the top of the mountain. Tom was taken with them, but he did not mind
it so much, now, for he did not fear the bullets from the settlers’
rifles as much as he did the rocks.
Presently the party of redcoats were almost to the top of the mountain,
and suddenly there came the sound of rifle-shots, and then the bullets
came whizzing among them. One or two of the redcoats were wounded, but
they pressed onward as rapidly as the rough conditions would admit, and
soon caught sight of the settlers, who had taken up positions behind the
rocks.
The British soldiers opened fire, and then advanced, slowly and
steadily, and the settlers, knowing that they could not offer successful
resistance to such a strong force, turned and retreated hastily.
They kept on retiring till they came to where there were a lot of large
boulders, and here they stopped to reload their rifles, and waited for
the British to come within range again.
The lieutenant, observing this action, placed Tom Dare right in front,
so that a volley could not be fired without hitting the patriot youth.
The settlers must have recognized Tom by this time, for they turned and
hastened onward again, having evidently decided not to fire the volley
as planned.
“That scheme worked all right,” the lieutenant said, with a smile. “We
will simply keep you in front, Tom Dare, and will thus be able to walk
into the valley in safety. I am glad that we got hold of you.”
But Tom wasn’t glad. By permitting himself to fall into the hands of the
enemy, he had spoiled the plan to roll rocks down on the redcoats, and
had made it impossible for the settlers to fire upon the British without
being in danger of killing him. He wished that he could do something to
change this state of affairs.
But what could he do? He was a prisoner, with redcoats all about him,
and he did not see how he was to do anything to help the settlers.
He thought of trying the plan of falling down the precipice, as he had
done once before, but the precipice in this instance was too steep. He
would surely be killed, as it would be a fall of at least one hundred
and fifty feet.
He decided that there was nothing that he could do, and so he walked
onward at the head of the party, though he did not feel very happy.
The settlers did not stop again. Evidently they did not wish to take the
chances of killing or wounding Tom by firing at the British, and had
made up their minds to retreat to their village in the valley.
They moved considerably faster than did the redcoats, and Tom, who
shrewdly guessed that the settlers would like to have as much time as
possible, for the purpose of removing their household goods to a safe
place in the mountains, walked slowly pretending lameness, which did not
seem unreasonable and thus kept the redcoats from advancing, for a time
at least, at a fast pace.
They kept telling him to increase his speed, but he did not hasten his
steps and presently a couple of soldiers seized him by the arms, at an
order from the lieutenant, and he was made to walk faster.
They went on, and finally reached the entrance to the valley. Then they
moved faster, as the ground was level and the walking easier. They did
not see the settlers, so judged they had already reached their homes in
the village.
“Likely the rebels intend carrying some of their household goods and
valuables up into the mountains,” said the lieutenant. “We must try to
get there in time to prevent them from doing that.”
So they hastened, and closer and closer to the village they drew.
Finally they were at the edge of the village, and all was quiet. They
did not see any signs of the settlers.
“They’re gone,” said the lieutenant.
Then the redcoats scattered and entered the houses, and searched for
valuables, but found nothing of much use, the settlers having indeed
taken pretty much everything out of the houses.
“They’ve gone up into the mountains,” said the lieutenant. “Let’s fire
these houses, and then follow.”
With cries of satisfaction, for they were angered by being cheated out
of their plunder, as they looked at it, the soldiers set fire to the
houses, and soon the village was going up in flames.
“Now head up into the mountains, men,” said the lieutenant. “We’ll run
the rebels to earth and help ourselves to their valuables, anyhow.”
The soldiers hastened into the forest, and began ascending the mountain.
The ground was rough, but they made pretty good headway. They spread
out, fan-shape, so as to cover as much ground as through this alignment
they could obtain, and looked eagerly in all directions for the patriot
settlers.
“They must have a hiding-place somewhere up the mountain,” said the
lieutenant. “Make a thorough search.”
But, although they searched till nightfall, they did not find the
hiding-place of the settlers, and they finally went back down to the
village, or rather, where it had stood, for the houses were now burned
to the ground, and there camped for the night.
And next morning they set out on the return to Ninety-Six, reaching the
fort about the middle of the afternoon.
Tom was placed in the guard-house, and the lieutenant went to Major
Cruger and reported the result of the expedition. The Major expressed
satisfaction at the burning of the settlers’ houses, but was sorry they
had managed to make their escape and carry their household goods with
them.