The redcoats, taken by surprise, were seized with a feeling of terror, and sprang to their feet and ran toward the end of the valley at the top of their speed, leaving two or three seriously wounded soldiers behind them, however.
The settlers pursued the fleeing soldiers, and kept after them till they left the valley and were making their way along the path on the side of the mountain. Then the settlers paused and held a council.
“Now what shall we do next?” asked one of the settlers.
“A few of us will stay here and guard the entrance to the valley,” replied Tom. “And the rest will climb to the top of the precipice and gather stones and place them where they will be handy to roll down on the heads of the redcoats when they come.”
“That is good advice, I think,” said Mr. Hicks. “We will do that.”
Then he named six of the settlers, and told them to remain on guard at the entrance to the valley, after which the rest of the party climbed to the top of the precipice and began collecting rocks and placing them along the edge of the precipice.
“Those rocks will beat firearms as destructive weapons,” said Mr. Hicks.
“Yes, I think so,” replied Tom.
The soldiers who had been driven from the valley kept onward along the path till they reached the fairly level country at the end, a distance of about three miles, and then they stopped and went into camp, as the reinforcements from the fort would not reach there till about noon of the next day.
The settlers worked hard the rest of the afternoon, and when evening came they had a string of rocks piled along the edge of the precipice for a distance of a couple of miles, and they felt that they were now in a position to make it exceedingly hot for the British soldiers when they put in their expected appearance the following day.