“There, that turned out all right, after all,” he murmured. “But, I thought at first that I might be taken into camp a prisoner, and that would have been bad indeed.”
Dick looked toward the encampment keenly, as he spoke, and noted that all was quiet there, and that none of the soldiers were as yet evincing any disposition to visit the clump of timber.
At least an hour passed, and then Dick saw a couple of soldiers leave the encampment and come toward the timber. As soon as he was certain they were coming to loll in the shade of the trees, Dick climbed the tree. From there he could hear the conversation of the redcoats, and there was not much chance that they would discover his presence, the foliage in the tree as has been noted, being quite thick.
The two soldiers entered the edge of the timber and seated themselves under a tree close to the one Dick was in, and sat there, smoking and talking, their conversation being mainly personal, as had been the case with the two that had been there in the forenoon. But, after a while they got to talking about the army, and finally touched upon the very matter that Dick wish to hear discussed. In a general way they commented upon the bustle, stir and preparation that indicated some important move.
“I'm glad of it,” remarked one. “I am getting tired of being cooped up in camp. I'd rather do some marching and fighting.”
“So would I. Well, I think it likely that we will have fighting to do in a few days, if the colonel knew what he was talking about, and I suppose he did.”
“He had the news from General Percy?”
“I suppose so. The general was over to the main encampment yesterday, you know, and likely they held a council of war and decided to make an attack.”
Dick was straining every nerve to hear distinctly.
Just then a groan sounded, from amid the clump of bushes in which Dick had placed the soldier he had overpowered. The soldiers heard it, and looked at each other wonderingly and inquiringly and then gazed keenly toward the clump of bushes. Dick had heard the groan also, and his heart sank, for he thought that if the soldiers found and released the other redcoat, a search might be instituted for him, and result in his discovery and capture.