AN INCIDENT.
"Getting warm, isn't it" commented Dare about eleven o'clock the
morning of their first day on the road.
"Dot's right, py jimminy," panted Fritz, mopping the perspiration from
his red face. "But we fooled those Red-goats that time, eh Dick?"
"I'm not so sure," Dick replied gravely. "I'm very much afraid they
knew that everything wasn't as it should be, and that they will suspect
our mission. And if they do, we are going to have trouble before we
arrive at Vincennes."
Dick was referring to the incident of their passing the British lines
early that morning. One of the guards was inclined to be suspicious.
Dick's seeming frank explanation but more particularly Fritz's innocent
and guileless manner, however, had temporarily, at least, won the day.
"Dot's an unbolite feller up the road, Dick," muttered the German boy,
pointing ahead. "See him vaving his arms and hands at a young frauline
like he vas her jailor."
Dick shaded his eyes with his hand and surveyed the couple to whom
Fritz had called his attention. The man was unquestionably threatening
his companion with violence, and the girl, although she made no
effort to escape, glanced back frequently as if looking about her for
assistance.
"Come on, let's investigate," cried Dick, putting spurs to his horse.
Fritz followed closely, and the pair soon overtook the two pedestrians
whom they had observed. As they rode up, the man, who was evidently a
young southerner, seized his companion by the wrist, at which she cried
out.
"That strikes me as very poor courtesy," shouted Dick, reining up, "and
is most surprising to see in a man of this state!"
"State," snapped the other, still retaining his hold on the girl, who
looked as if she might be his sister, as the boys soon discovered she
was. "To all but rebels this is a loyal colony of His Majesty, King
George."
"Rebels is a hard word," replied Dick, "and, moreover, my friend and I
shall be indebted to you if you will immediately release the lady, who
doesn't appear to be greatly flattered with your attentions."
"Yah," chorused Fritz. "So are we."
"You don't seem to lack admirers," drawled the southerner, turning to
his sister. Then, his rage overcoming him, "You little rebel spy!" he
hissed.
The girl paled, and at this added insult Dick leaped to the ground
and advanced on the troublesome one. Grasping him by the collar and
giving him a vigorous push in the proper direction, Dick sent the young
Loyalist sprawling in a ditch.
"Ha, ha!" shouted Fritz, "my turn next."
"It will be both of your turns next," yelled their new acquaintance,
who had promptly recovered his feet, and was retiring down the road in
discomfort, evidently feeling sure that retreat was the safest in the
face of such odds.
"Oh," cried the girl, "now I've drawn you into trouble, haven't I?"
"Not that I can notice," replied Dick, with quiet indifference. "I
trust that we have been of service to you and haven't interfered where
we shouldn't have."
"I can't thank you enough for getting rid of him just at this moment,"
she replied. "As he said, I'm a Patriot, and he was trying to force
some important information from me regarding the forces in Charleston."
"My name is Dare, miss, and this is Fritz Schmockenburg, both of Capt.
Morgan's company."
The girl nodded brightly at Fritz, who was overwhelmed by the
suddenness with which he was thrown into a lady's company. "My brother
is very influential in the King's army," she said, "and now I'd advise
you to hurry along if you expect to avoid any further trouble with him."
At that moment Dick thought he distinguished the dull sound of
hoof-beats coming from the direction in which the young Tory had
retreated.
"Guess you're right," replied Dick, "but if we go on, what will happen
to you?"
"My house is around the bend in the road," the girl answered quickly,
"I'll cut through these woods and be safe in two minutes. But you must
hurry, for he won't come back alone."
"Good-bye and good luck," cried Dick as he watched her spring lightly
over the stone wall at the side of the road. "All aboard, Fritz, I
reckon they're after us," and suiting action to the word, Dick vaulted
into his saddle and started away at a gallop.
The pursuing Redcoats could be seen plainly now, urging their horses on
in the hopes of overtaking the young patriots before they had gathered
speed. The two groups fairly flew along the dusty highway, and Dick,
bending low over his saddle, saw the pursuers drawing their pistols.
"Bend down, Fritz," he shouted, "but don't try to return their fire."
Even as he spoke there was the sound of discharged firearms.
"Ach, I'm a dead one alreaty," hollered Fritz, and before Dick could
reply or offer aid, the German boy clutched madly at his horse's mane
and then rolled in a heap in the dust of the road. His fall was greeted
with yells from the soldiers, who quickly approaching soon surrounded
his prostrate form and abandoned any further pursuit of Dick.
"Just what Tom said," muttered Dick, as after a hard gallop he slowed
down his panting horse and wiped the dust from his eyes. "Here, on the
first day out, Fritz is captured and probably wounded seriously, and I
can't go on my mission till I find out how he is and what I can do for
him."
Dick rode slowly onward for half a mile more, and then turned off in
the bed of a stream which crossed the road at this point. The brook
rapidly narrowed to a rushing little fall, and here, completely away
from sight or sound of travellers along the road, he jumped from his
tired horse, permitted him a refreshing drink at the brook, and, after
hobbling him securely, turned his attention toward preparing a meal for
one.
Dick moistened a handful of flour with water, kneaded it with his
fingers into a clinging dough, and set it aside while he built his
fire. He was particular to pick out dry pieces of moss and hard twigs,
for smoke was a thing to be avoided, and the hard woods burn freest.
Having gradually increased the size of his fuel and consequently the
blaze, until he judged it hot enough, Dick drew his hunting knife, cut
two pieces of bacon from his precious store, and laid them in the pan
on the coals. The dough he now rolled into flat round cakes and placed
in the pan with the bacon to fry. Carefully turning the cakes and bacon
from time to time with the flat of his knife, he prepared a meal fit
for a king, but destined to be eaten by an enemy of all kings.
Dick fretted and fumed all that afternoon, and toward dusk ventured
out from his retreat and rode slowly back in the direction of the
British camps, whose exact whereabouts he had to determine. At the
top of a slight rise he saw in the distance the glow of the soldiers'
camp-fire, and making his horse fast to a tree, some distance from the
road, he proceeded carefully on foot toward the sentinel lines and the
British encampment.
Half way up to the camp he dropped flat on the ground and waited for
the nearest outpost to come to the end of his stretch, exchange a
word with his neighbor, and turn back. Then Dick crawled between the
two while their backs were turned, and was safely inside the lines.
But where was Fritz? And how badly was he wounded? Could he have been
killed?
Dick, after considerable reconnoitering, located a stout log house in
front of which a sentry strolling was talking to his nearby companions
around a fire. Dick was near enough to hear plainly all that was said.
"The old Dutchman snores," laughed the sentinel.
"Hurray," thought Dick, "that means Fritz and then he can't be very
seriously wounded."
Dick crept up behind the hut, which was built of stout logs, and
discovered with joy that there was a small barred window. Through this
he lightly threw a small stone to attract the prisoner's attention.
"Get oud," yelled Fritz, who was surprised from his sleep by the missle.
"Wait till I come in," said his guard, from the other side of the
house. "Quit your Dutch dreams and prepare to go on to the next world,
cause you're due to take that trip tomorrow, sure."
"Not if I know it," thought Dick.
Then when things had quieted down again, he called to Fritz softly
through the window. The German boy got up from the couch on which
he was lying and looked out cautiously. He almost shouted when he
distinguished his friend in the semi-darkness.
"Are you badly hurt, Fritz?" asked Dick anxiously.
"Nein," was the answer, "dot fool saddle slipped the horse off and me
and mine horse went mit it the dust into."
"Good," ejaculated Dick, "I'm glad it's no worse. Now how about getting
out?"
"Dere iss a chimney big enough," said Fritz, "and the door is only
barred on the other side, but there is a soldier there."
"The chimney, then," said Dick, "for we can't get past the guard at the
door. Why haven't you escaped before this?"
"Vell, I fell asleep ven they put me in here, and you voke me up just
now," confessed Fritz, sheepishly.
"Up the chimney now, quick," ordered Dick, "and be quiet, too."
Fritz disappeared, and after quite an interval Dick saw his stout
comrade laboriously climbing over the top of the structure. But Dick
wasn't alone in this strange sight. One of the soldiers saw him too,
and, yelling out the alarm, sprang for his gun just as Fritz jumped to
the ground. Dick leading, both started running through the woods.
The two fugitives made a detour through the underbrush, tearing their
clothes and making noise enough to guide the pursuing Red-coats. Dick
and Fritz turned sharply to the left, stepping quietly for a few paces,
and found themselves in the opening, before the very prison Fritz had
so recently deserted, while the chase streamed by in the darkened
woods, and the cries of the soldiers roused the neighboring fire-groups
to action.
"Into the hut," whispered Dick. "It's our only chance. The woods are
alive with troops and we'd be caught in no time."
"But I just got oud," objected Fritz. "And I don't----"
"In you go," said Dick, giving him a push, and following the hurried
and astonished boy, he closed the door after them and stepped to the
window.
"They have got us safe enough, if they only knew it," thought Dick. He
turned to Fritz. "They'll come back here soon to see how you climbed
out. We've got to hide somewhere. Quick, they're coming now! Under that
straw in the corner, Fritz. I'll take care of myself. Way under, now!"