“What does that mean, comrade?” remarked one of the soldiers.
“Somebody groaned,” was the reply. “Let's take a look in that clump of bushes and see who is there, and what ails him.”
They leaped to their feet, and drawing pistols, strode to the edge of the clump of bushes, and stooping, pushed their way through between the bushes. A few moments later Dick heard an exclamation from the lips of one of the soldiers, and knew they had discovered the bound redcoat. The youth had thought of slipping down out of the tree and trying to make his escape, but did not do so, for he realized that the chances were that he would be seen and either shot or captured. So he decided to remain where he was, and risk being discovered.
A few minutes later the three redcoats emerged from amid the bushes, the two having freed the redcoat from his bonds. They paused underneath the tree Dick was in, and the redcoat explained about his encounter with and capture by the person he had suspected of being a spy and had intended to march into the camp, a prisoner. To Dick's amusement, the redcoat described him as being a big, ferocious-looking fellow, a six-footer, and very strong. Evidently the soldier did not want his comrades to know that he had been overpowered and mad a prisoner by a youth of eighteen years, and smaller than himself.
“I suppose the rascally spy isn't still in this clump of timer, eh?” remarked one of the soldiers, with a glance around.
“No, not likely,” was the reply of the one who had been made a prisoner. “Probably he got away from here as quickly as possible, after making a prisoner of me.”
“Luckily he was not here to listen to what we were saying,” remarked one, and he looked significantly at the other who agreed.
Then one suggested that they go into the encampment and make a report of the affair to the general. The other two assented to this proposition, and they at once left the clump of trees and made their way to the encampment.
Dick was eager, now, to get away from there.
He felt that he had important if not really definite information and wished to get it to General Washington as quickly as possible. He knew that he might succeed in getting away from the clump of timber without being discovered, but again there was a chance that he would be seen and captured, and so he decided to wait till nightfall, when he could slip away in safety, and without being in any danger of being seen. True, the redcoats might come and search the clump of timber, for the spy the soldier had had the encounter with, but the youth did not believe they would do so, as they would not think him likely to linger thereabouts after having had the struggle with the British soldier there.