“There comes another rock!” yelled another soldier at that moment, and there was a lively scrambling to get out of the rock’s course.
They managed to keep from getting hit, this time, but realized that if they continued onward along the path, they would be crushed and knocked to pieces by the stones, and so the lieutenant gave the order to retreat, and the soldiers hastened back along the path, to the point they had left only a short time before.
Here they paused, and held a council. It was decided to ascend to the top of the precipice and attack the settlers there, if they stood their ground and showed fight.
“We can reach the valley by going that way,” said the lieutenant.
So they set out, and made their way slowly up the steep ascent leading to the top of the mountain. Tom was taken with them, but he did not mind it so much, now, for he did not fear the bullets from the settlers’ rifles as much as he did the rocks.
Presently the party of redcoats were almost to the top of the mountain, and suddenly there came the sound of rifle-shots, and then the bullets came whizzing among them. One or two of the redcoats were wounded, but they pressed onward as rapidly as the rough conditions would admit, and soon caught sight of the settlers, who had taken up positions behind the rocks.
The British soldiers opened fire, and then advanced, slowly and steadily, and the settlers, knowing that they could not offer successful resistance to such a strong force, turned and retreated hastily.
They kept on retiring till they came to where there were a lot of large boulders, and here they stopped to reload their rifles, and waited for the British to come within range again.
The lieutenant, observing this action, placed Tom Dare right in front, so that a volley could not be fired without hitting the patriot youth.
The settlers must have recognized Tom by this time, for they turned and hastened onward again, having evidently decided not to fire the volley as planned.