“Yah, dot is so,” nodded Fritz, grinning.
Next morning the patriot soldiers again began searching for Dick, at the same time keeping their eyes open for Indians, but did not find either, and after eating their luncheon at noon, they set out toward the patriot encampment in Peaceful Valley, as they were expected to report there that evening.
It was almost dark when they arrived at the encampment, and the other two companies were already there. They had found two or three Indian villages, had killed and wounded a number of Indians and put the rest to flight, as Captain Morgan’s force had done. They had not seen anything of Dick or Tom Dare.
General Greene was somewhat worried over the fact that Dick and Tom were missing, for he liked the youths, and feared that they had met with death at the hands of the redskins.
“We will break camp here in the morning, however,” he told his officers, “and will march upon Fort Ninety-Six. Possibly we may find the Dare Boys somewhere in that neighborhood. Dick may have continued onward in that direction to look for his brother Tom.”
“True,” agreed Captain Morgan. “I hope we may find them alive and well.”
CHAPTER XVII
Ben Reconnoiters
The encampment was astir early next morning, and the soldiers cooked and ate breakfast, and then began making preparations to get ready for the march.
They were ready in about an hour and a half, or two hours, and then having said good-by to the settlers of Peaceful Valley, they marched away toward the west.
They continued onward steadily during that day, stopping an hour at noon for luncheon and to rest, and when evening came they went into camp at a point perhaps thirty miles east of Ninety-Six.