“I know where that settlement is,” said one of the soldiers. “They are strong rebels, up there.”
“Yes, but we’ll make them wish they were loyal to the king before we get through with them,” said the lieutenant.
Tom listened to the conversation of the lieutenant and the soldiers with interest, and he began wondering if he could not manage to in some manner get word to the settlers of their danger.
“I’ll try to do so,” he decided. “If any opportunity is offered to me, I will slip away and try to get to the settlement ahead of the redcoats and warn the settlers.”
The party of British soldiers did not hurry. They did not care to reach the settlement until evening, anyway, and so they made their way along at a moderate pace, and stopped an hour and a half at noon, and after they had eaten, they proceeded at the same moderate pace, and it was getting along toward evening when the lieutenant said they were within two miles of the settlement, which was in a high valley, up in among the mountains.
At the point where they were when the lieutenant made this statement, they were making their way along a path that wound around the side of a mountain, and at one side the mountain stretched up hundreds of feet in the air, while to the other side there was almost a precipice. The descent for a hundred feet was quite steep, but not so steep but what a man might descend it, by using care. Tom Dare, who had been trying to think of some manner of giving the party the slip and getting to the settlement ahead of the redcoats, decided on a plan. It was dangerous, but he would try it anyhow, and his plan was to pretend to stumble and then fall and go sliding down the declivity. He would then get to his feet, make his way to the settlement and warn the settlers.
He managed to work his way over till he was close to the edge of the descent, and then suddenly he stumbled, gave a cry of seeming alarm, fell and went rolling over and over down the steep mountain-side.
The soldiers were greatly excited and yelled advice and encouragement to the youth, but he was rolling so rapidly that their voices came to him only in an inarticulate murmur. He did not understand their words, and could not have acted on any of the suggestions had he done so.
“Stop,” yelled one soldier.
“Grab hold of something,” cried another.