Although the soldiers were heard not a great distance back, Dick dashed to the tether rope and slashed it with his knife. At that moment the trooper guarding the horses sprang upon him, but Fritz had presence of mind enough left to grab him about the waist, and the two rolled on the ground locked in each others arms. Fritz's horse was on the end of the line, and grasping the halter to secure him, Dick shouted and slapped at the nearest trooper's horses to stampede them. He was more successful than he had hoped and the frightened animals turned and galloped off in all directions, many of them heading for the pursuing Redcoats.
The confusion that resulted was a great help to the two patriots, and as Fritz had freed himself from the clutches of the soldier he had been fighting with, the two boys made their escape in the darkness and soon picked up Dick's horse, at some little distance from the camp.
"I'm more than thankful to be out of that," said Dick, earnestly, when they had galloped a little way along the road.
"But vere do we sleep?" asked Fritz. "For myself this is a hard day."
"Sleep," echoed Dick, "we won't get any of that before noon-day, I guess. We've got to keep moving while the darkness helps us."
They had now covered a mile or more along the road, and Fritz was drooping in his saddle from exhaustion, when, without warning, from the road ahead a figure cried, "Halt!"
The command was accompanied by the ominous click of a musket hammer being raised, and as Dick pulled at the bridle of Fritz's horse and attempted to wheel them both, he felt himself grasped by strong hands. Despite his efforts he was quickly pulled from his mount.
Fritz was soon placed beside him, and the leader, after gruffly cautioning the boys to be quiet, gave the order to march, and the band with its prisoners in their midst moved on in the direction which the boys had been following. Evidently they had ridden into their ranks before discovering the presence of anyone else, and had fallen easy victims into their hands.
It was still some time before day, and the tired boys had great difficulty in keeping up to the rapid strides of their captors.
Finally, after what seemed an age to Fritz, the dark turned into a dull grey and Dick, peering at the men about him, suddenly emitted a shout that brought the men about him threateningly.