Spy stories; Teenage boys -- Juvenile fiction; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Juvenile fiction
"Phew, that outnumbers our army considerably!" thought Dick. "Well, no
matter, when it comes to battle, I'll wager that we will give the
redcoats all they can do."
When Company H. had finished bathing, the soldiers marched back to the
encampment, and other companies were met on their way to the beach to
take their turn in the water.
Dick was on the alert for information all the rest of that day. He did
not learn much more, for he found that there was no intention of
attacking the patriot force on Brooklyn Heights very soon, exactly the
point on which General Washington wished to be informed. He became
convinced that it would be useless to remain longer in the hope of
securing further information, as no date for an attack had been
decided upon.
He turned his attention therefore to the problem of how if possible to
rescue the patriot spies and soldiers that were in the old hulk used
for a prison.
"I must rescue them!" was his thought. "I will rescue them!" he
decided, and he began figuring on the matter in earnest and laying his
plans.
About half-past one o'clock in the afternoon, however, he was given a
shock: He saw half a dozen British soldiers approaching the encampment
from the north, and in their midst was-his brother Tom!
"They've captured Tom!" he exclaimed mentally, in dismay. "Goodness,
that is bad! I wonder how it happened?"
This was a simple matter. The half dozen redcoats had been up in the
hills nearby the Heights, where Dick and Tom had had the adventure the
night before, when in passing the clump of trees, some one of them
happened to catch a glimpse of Tom, who was seated under a tree,
eating some food that he had procured t a farmhouse early that
morning. The soldiers had advanced, and their sudden appearance had
startled Tom to such an extent that when they asked who he was and
what he was doing there, he stammered and was unable to make a
satisfactory reply offhand, with the result that the redcoats seized
him and made him a prisoner, their idea being that even though he were
a boy he might be a "rebel" spy.
As may well be supposed, when Dick saw the redcoats approaching with
his brother a prisoner in their midst, his heart sank. He had been
figuring on getting his brother to help him in rescuing the patriot
spies and soldiers, and here was Tom in the enemy's hands, a prisoner.
"I'll have to begin by rescuing Tom, I guess," was Dick's thought.
The soldiers entered the encampment, with the youth in their midst,
and conducted him to where in front of his tent the general was
sitting on a camp-stool. The officer looked up as the party
approached, and he eyed the prisoner in some surprise.
Dick had drawn near as the soldiers entered the camp, and had managed
to catch Tom's eye and give him a warning look. He hoped that his
brother would be very careful, and not let it be seen that they were
known to each other.
"Whom have you there?" queried General Percy, as the party came to a
halt in front of him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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