Gurley had watched this little episode with a slight show of alarm, at first, but when he saw that the youth was not going to fire, he grinned, and said: “Lucky ye didn’t shoot, youngster.” Then to Holden he went on: “What about it? Are ye goin’ to surrender?”
“No,” was the decided reply.
“Ye’ll have to sooner or later, ye know.”
“No, you won’t,” said Tom, in a low, eager voice. “I’ll go out and away to-night, and will try to find and rescue Dick. But if I can’t find him, I’ll go and bring General Greene and his army.”
Holden nodded to Tom, and then replied to Gurley: “We will not surrender, so you might as well go back to your friends, the redskins, and tell them so.”
“Oh, all right,” growled Gurley. “But, ye’ll be sorry ye didn’t surrender, Holden.”
“I don’t think so.”
With an angry exclamation, the renegade turned and strode back and rejoined the Indians, to whom he talked energetically, gesticulating vigorously the while.
Then the Indians shook their bows and tomahawks at the settlers and gave vent to a series of wild, thrilling war-whoops.