For about fifteen minutes nothing new happened, and Fritz and Dick began to hope that Dick had been mistaken in his surmise that Tom and Tim were coming ashore. Then of a sudden they heard a great crashing in the woods where the horses were tethered, and shouts of, "I'm aboard, mate," and "Shake 'em out, captain," came plainly to their ears through the trees. The soldiers about the fires grabbed up their guns and dashed into the woods toward the horses, and the boys could see for one brief instant two galloping forms go thundering off through the woods toward the road. The muskets cracked and the troopers shouted dire threats at the two men, but although the chase soon drew out of sight, Dick didn't think that either of the men had been hit, and at the rate they were going he was quite sure that they would not be overtaken. The excitement of the moment had left Dick without thought for his own situation, and it was Fritz who realized that for a moment they were alone. He heard the officers returning to camp from the beach, and grabbing Dick by the arm, he scurried off in a direction half way between that taken by the pursuing soldiers and returning officers. "Nefer mind the breakfast," Fritz cried, abandoning his greatest need in the excitement. "Let us out get." "Good boy," exclaimed Dick. "You have your wits with you to-day, for sure." They had no time to talk further, however. The returning soldiers would soon be hard on their trail, and without horses, they had but a slim chance of making good their escape. The confusion, and the two parties, however, helped them more than they had hoped. They reached the road, crossed it and entered the woods on the other side without being seen. Dick and Fritz ran on until they felt that if they did not rest soon their heads would burst. Stumbling along, keeping the sun over their right shoulders they finally came out upon a great body of water. It was the Chesapeake, and both of them dropped flat on their stomachs and bathed their tired heads in the cold salt water. "This is all right, if we can only get a canoe now," said Dick, standing up and feeling greatly refreshed. "It don't look so very fine to me," replied Fritz. "We are here together, yet with nothing to eat, nothing to shoot with und nothing to go somewheres with----" "Nothing to be hung with either. You better remember that and be happy," said Dick. "We were comfortable in the British camp, maybe, but we had a noose waiting for us sooner or later, you know." "Und ve'll keep it vaiting already," responded Fritz, very much cheered by this viewpoint. CHAPTER IX. IN CAMP. "Bring those two in here," said the major to the corporal, who was holding Tom Dare and Tim. He retired to the tent, and sat down on a small stool beside a camp table. The boys were pushed forward into the tent and stood before the British officer. There was no fear in their glances, and in fact they seemed the coolest members of the party.