When the three had finished their supper, the young folks said they would be going home, and they shook hands with Dick, Tom and Ben and said good-night and went to their homes. Mr. Hart invited the three patriot youths to spend the night there, and they accepted the invitation, though Dick said they would want to leave early in the morning, so as to get to the encampment of the party of British soldiers before they broke camp and started away, as it was his intention to follow them to the main encampment of the British. “I’ll get you up as early as you like,” said Mr. Hart. The youths were given blankets, and lay on the floor in the big front room, and slept soundly. They were up early, and found that Mrs. Hart and Sally had been up some time, and that they had breakfast on the table. Dick told them that they need not have gone to this trouble, but they said it was a pleasure to them. The three youths ate heartily, and then said good-by. They took their departure, promising that they would call at the Hart home, if ever they were in the vicinity again. They made their way to the vicinity of the British encampment, and found the redcoats just astir and that they were getting their breakfast. “We are in plenty of time,” said Dick. “We will stay here, where we can keep a good watch on them, and when they break camp and leave, we will follow them.” This they did, and about an hour later the redcoats broke camp and set out through the open country, going toward the east. The patriot youths followed, skirting the woods, and kept the redcoats in view, being careful, however, to keep out of sight themselves. On marched the redcoats, and always on the trail the youths. They were feeling pretty well satisfied, for they believed they would soon discover the whereabouts of Arnold’s encampment. About the middle of the forenoon, the three reached the top of a high ridge, and on looking ahead, down the slope, they saw, about half a mile distant, in an open piece of ground of perhaps fifty or seventy-five acres, a good-sized encampment, which they did not doubt was the objective point of their search. The redcoats they had been following had just reached the camp, and had settled down as if intending to stay. “That’s Arnold’s encampment, without doubt,” said Dick. “Well, now we must get the information to Colonel Morris as soon as possible.” CHAPTER XVIII—A Daring Attempt The youths settled down and took it easy, while watching the encampment. They decided to wait till afternoon, before starting back to the patriot encampment, with the hope that Arnold might make a move, on learning from the soldiers that had just arrived that a patriot force had come down into that region from the North. The result justified their judgment, for soon after noon the British soldiers began breaking camp, as if getting ready to march a considerable distance.