Tom said good-by to the others, and then slipped out through the gate, and stole softly away through the darkness.
“Now, I will have to exercise care,” said Tom to himself. “It is not going to be very easy to get through the lines of the Indians, for they are better woodsmen than the redcoats.”
He moved slowly and cautiously, till he was nearly to the edge of the forest, and then he dropped onto his hands and knees and crawled forward, slowly, pausing every few moments to listen.
Finally he reached the margin of the woods without having heard any sound of the redskins. Here he paused for a few minutes, leaning against a tree, and listening intently for some sound from the Indians.
He knew there must certainly be some of the redskins near at hand, and so when he started onward again, he went slowly and exercised great caution. He knew that the least sound would be heard, and he was careful not to make any noise.
On he went, moving as silently as a shadow, and without hearing any sound to indicate the presence of the Indians. It was indeed trying to his nerves, but Tom was a brave youth, and did not falter.
How long it took Tom to make his way through the lines of the Indians he did not know, but it seemed to him that several hours had passed by the time he was at a point beyond the encircling line of redskins. Had he not moved exceedingly slow, however, he would surely have been discovered, and likely would have been captured.
Rising to his feet, he moved onward, still slowly and cautiously, but he did not hear any sounds to indicate the presence of Indians, and kept steadily onward.
When he had gone about half a mile, he paused and uttered a peculiar, quavering whistle, low but penetrating in the stillness of the night. It was a signal that he and Dick and Ben often used, when separated at night. If Dick were within a radius of two hundred yards, he would hear the whistle, and of course would answer it, unless gagged.
Tom sounded the whistle three or four times, without receiving any response, and then moved onward perhaps a quarter of a mile. Pausing again, he sounded the signal as before. And as before, there was no reply. He was not able to locate, in the dark, the cabin Gurley occupied.