“Oh, I wouldn't do that, if I were you,” said Dick, calmly.
The soldier smiled grimly. “I suppose you do not view the matter favorably,” he replied. “But, I think it my duty to take you into camp, for you may be a dangerous spy.”
Dick had been doing some swift thinking, and he had made up his mind that he must not permit himself to be taken into the encampment a prisoner. He must manage in some way to prevent the soldier from accomplishing this. The only way, so far as he could see, was to engage the soldier in a struggle, and overpower him, and as the redcoat looked a pretty husky fellow, this would likely not be an easy thing to accomplish. But Dick was more than ordinarily strong, and he was quick and athletic, and a good wrestler, and he believed he could overpower the soldier. He felt confident he could do so, if he could succeed in taking the redcoat by surprise.
Dick, busy thinking, made no reply to the redcoat's last remark, and the soldier, after waiting a few moments, said sharply: “Get up, young fellow.”
Dick rose to his feet, slowly and quietly. His actions were such as would cause the redcoat to think he did not contemplate offering any resistance, and this was done purposely, so as to throw the redcoat off his guard. And it worked that way, for the soldier, with a careless wave of the hand, said:
“March along in front of me to the encampment, young fellow. We'll see what General Percy thinks about you.”
But Dick did not march, as ordered to do. Instead, he suddenly leaped upon the amazed soldier, and seizing him by the throat, so as to prevent his crying out, tripped him, throwing him to the ground heavily, and then, seated astride the redcoat's body, and holding him pinned to the earth in spite of his struggles.
The soldier was a pretty strong man, but he had been taken at a disadvantage and by surprise, and so was not in a position to exercise his full powers, and the result was, that although only a youth of eighteen years, Dick managed to choke the soldier into a state of insensibility in a very few minutes.
And then, when confident that the redcoat was unconscious, Dick let go his hold, and proceeded to bind the redcoat's hands and feet, and gag him. This accomplished, the youth dragged the soldier into the deepest and thickest clump of bushes and concealed him there, so that in case any soldiers came to the timber, later on, they would not discover his presence.
Having accomplished this task, Dick sat down beside the tree and drew a long breath of relief and satisfaction.