The Dare Boys Of 1776 Part 22

d.i.c.k hastened away, running swiftly, and as he pa.s.sed where Tom and Ben were stationed, he called out: "I'm taking a message to General Stirling."

"Good for you," cried Ben.

"Go it," from Tom.

d.i.c.k vaulted over the breastworks and then ran down the slope at the top of his speed.

"I'm a messenger from General Putnam," he called to the sentinel, as he approached the soldier on duty partway down the slope, and then on he dashed, without slackening speed in the least.

Soon he was in among the trees and out of sight of the patriot soldiers on the Heights. He knew the direction to go in order to reach General Stirling, and he headed in that direction and kept up his speed.

d.i.c.k heard the firing over to his left, and knew this was where General Sullivan was having such a hot fight with the enemy. The youth would pa.s.s within two or three hundred yards of the left wing of the attacking British, and he kept a sharp lookout in that direction, for he did not want to get shot by any of the British soldiers.

Presently he caught sight of the right wing of Sullivan's force, and saw the patriot soldiers firing at the British as rapidly as possible, and then he saw the redcoats, who were attacking the patriots from both the front and the rear.

d.i.c.k wished that he might be able to help the patriot soldiers fight the British, but he had business of his own to attend to, and so he kept onward, running at the top of his speed.

Suddenly, however, when he was perhaps halfway to the point where General Stirling's army was fighting so bravely, he was given a surprise, and a most unpleasant one-for he found himself confronted by a force of British soldiers, which was making a flank movement, with the intention, doubtless, of falling upon Sullivan's right wing.

Doubtless another force was executing a similar movement on the opposite side, to attack Sullivan's left wing, and when this movement was finished, the soldiers under Sullivan would be surrounded.

d.i.c.k halted instantly, on catching sight of the approaching soldiers.

He had seen them while still they were a couple of hundred yards distant, they being easy to see owing to the brilliant red of their coats, which stood out plainly between the trees. He wondered if he had been seen. If not, it might be possible to escape capture by hiding-if a hiding-place could be found. If he were to turn to the right and run in that direction, with the purpose of getting around the end of this advancing force, he would be almost certain to be seen and either shot down or captured. Evidently, therefore, the proper thing for him to do was to hide if he could find a place of concealment.

But could he do this? He glanced around him, eagerly and anxiously. He was determined to get through the British ranks and deliver the message to General Stirling, if such a thing were possible. It would never do to fail in the very first work that he was given to do in a battle with the British. No, he must reach General Stirling. General Putnam had shown confidence in d.i.c.k, and the youth was not going to give the general reason to think his confidence had been misplaced.

But, where could he hide? While pondering this matter, d.i.c.k was standing behind a larger tree, and on glancing around this tree, to see how close the redcoats were, the youth noted an interesting fact: The tree was hollow. There was an opening at least two feet high by a foot and a half wide, at the bottom, but halfway around to the other side. In order to enter this opening, d.i.c.k would have to take the chance of being seen by the approaching British soldiers.

It seemed to be his only chance, however, for he could not hope to run around the end of the force and escape without being shot down, and to remain where he was would be to be discovered the instant the soldiers came up to him.

This being settled, d.i.c.k did not hesitate, but acted at once. He dropped to the ground, and lying on his stomach, wriggled his way around the tree-trunk, much after the fashion of a huge snake. He glanced toward the approaching redcoats, and while he could see them plainly, they being within seventy-five yards of him, they had not as yet, he felt certain, discovered him. This gave him courage, and quickly he reached the opening and crawled through it and into the hollow within.

Crouching back as far from the opening as possible, d.i.c.k waited anxiously for the coming of the British soldiers. Had they seen him as he crawled through the opening? Would he be hauled out of the hollow tree and made a prisoner? d.i.c.k could not say. All he could do was to wait and see what would happen. If the redcoats had seen him, he would certainly be captured, but if they had not, then he stood a chance of escaping discovery, and when they pa.s.sed, he could continue on his way and deliver the message to General Stirling. How d.i.c.k wished that this might be the case!

The moments that intervened before the redcoats reached the vicinity of the tree were anxious ones for d.i.c.k. He sat there, crouching back as far as possible from the opening, and waited, and as he heard the footsteps and voices of the British soldiers, his heart came up into his throat.

It was indeed a critical moment. It was a situation to try the nerve of the bravest person.

Louder sounded the footsteps, plainer the voices of the redcoats.

Closer and closer the soldiers came, and then some of them appeared opposite the opening. d.i.c.k's heart was in his mouth. He held his breath and wondered if some of the redcoats would stop and haul him out from his hiding-place. But no, nothing of the kind occurred. It was now evident that he had not been seen as he was entering the hollow tree, and the redcoats merely walked past, without looking through the opening, and d.i.c.k was not discovered.

Eagerly and thankfully he saw the soldiers pa.s.s, and when they had all gone by, and had gotten perhaps fifty yards beyond, he stuck his head out through the opening and took a look after his enemies. They were walking swiftly onward, their faces to the front. Not one was looking back, and deeming it was safe, d.i.c.k crawled out of his hiding-place, and heaving a sigh of relief, he again set out in the direction of the point where Stirling's force was giving such valiant battle to the British.

On d.i.c.k ran, at top speed, and presently he emerged upon the Narrows Road, and caught sight of the patriot force, and also of the British.

The battle between these two divisions of the armies was still going on, and d.i.c.k quickly caught sight of General Stirling, who was seated on his big bay charger, watching the progress of the battle.

d.i.c.k hastened up to the general, and saluting, said: "I have message for you, General Stirling, from General Putnam."

General Stirling took the message and quickly read the few words written there.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Sullivan is in sore straits, being attacked from both front and rear, and I must retreat, or my force will be treated to the same fate."

Then he turned to d.i.c.k, and said: "Tel General Putnam I will begin retreating toward the Heights at once."

"Yes, General Stirling," said d.i.c.k, and then he moved away, in the direction from which he had come, while General Stirling gave the order for his force to beat a retreat. They obeyed, though reluctantly, for they did not know that Sullivan's force was practically in the hands of the British, and so could not understand why the order to retreat was given. They knew there was a strong force of redcoats over to their left hand, however, and so they kept a sharp lookout in that direction as they fell back. They were attacked from that side, by a part of the force, and General Stirling, while fighting valiantly, was surrounded and made a prisoner.

d.i.c.k, from quite a distance, saw the capture of General Stirling, and he remained where he was for a little while, until he saw that the main force under Stirling succeeded in getting past the British and were coming toward the Heights, which they would undoubtedly succeed in reaching, and then he turned and hastened on up to the Heights, and made his way to General Putnam.

"I delivered the message to General Stirling, sir," the youth said, "and he told me to say to you that he would begin a retreat at once."

"Very well, d.i.c.k," said Putnam. "You did well to deliver the message."

"I saw his force retreating, sir, from down the slope a ways," went on d.i.c.k, "and I saw some of the redcoats make a prisoner of General Stirling."

"So you say, my boy?" exclaimed Putnam. "That is bad. Well, it cannot be helped. But, I think the major portion of his force will succeed in reaching the Heights."

"Yes, I think so, General Putnam. The soldiers are coming steadily, and have got past the main part of the British force."

"Thanks for the information, d.i.c.k," said the general, and then the youth rejoined his comrades at the breastworks. Tom and Ben had many questions to ask, and he told them briefly the story of his trip with the despatch.

The soldiers of Stirling's force reached and entered the works on the Heights by the time d.i.c.k had finished his story, and the battle of Long Island was practically ended, the firing ceasing very soon afterwards.

The British army now advanced till in front of Brooklyn Heights, but it did not attempt to storm the defenses. Doubtless General Howe remembered Bunker Hill, and felt that a repet.i.tion of that experience would be disastrous to the king's cause.

General Washington sent over two thousand more soldiers, from New York, which made the force ten thousand strong within the patriot works of Brooklyn Heights, and he was positive, as was General Putnam also, that the Heights could be held, that if the British made an attack it would be disastrous for them.

The action of General Howe showed that he thought so too, for instead of getting ready to attack, he stretched his force around the Heights, from the East River on the north to the East River again, on the south, in a semicircle, and it was plain that his intention was to establish a siege.

General Washington realized at once that it would not do to stay on Brooklyn Heights, under such circ.u.mstances, for if the British fleet were to come up the East River and cut off the patriot army's retreat in that direction, the only result possible would be the surrender of the Continental army on the Heights. As he had no intention of surrendering, he decided to evacuate the position, and that night all the boats that could be gathered together were secured and the patriot army was removed across the river to New York. Also all the arms, ammunitions, provisions of every kind, and the heavy artillery, were ferried over. Nothing was left, and when next morning the British looked up at the works on the Heights, they were amazed to see no signs of life there-for so silently and cautiously had the patriots worked during the night that the British had not gotten an inkling of the movement. The redcoats pushed up the hill, and climbed over the works, only to stare around in dismay. Nothing was left of the big army that had been there only the evening before.

This achievement of General Washington, this wonderful feat of withdrawing an entire army of ten thousand men, with all the arms, including heavy artillery, and the ammunitions and provisions from right under the very nose of the enemy, and without the enemy even suspecting what was going on, will always be considered one of the greatest triumphs of generalship the world has ever known. This feat, when it became known in England, caused some of the greatest soldiers, and generals, and over in Europe as well, to shake their heads and declare that General Washington was a commander who would cause the British a great deal of trouble. And after events proved that they were right in their prophecies.

General Putnam must have told General Washington about d.i.c.k Dare having carried a message practically through the lines of the British, to General Stirling, during the battle of Long Island, for the commander-in-chief, happening to see d.i.c.k the day after the army took up quarters in New York, spoke to him about the matter, and complimented him on having successfully delivered the message, thus probably saving Stirling's force from capture.

To say that d.i.c.k was well pleased at receiving words of praise from the lips of the commander-in-chief is stating it mildly. And when he told Tom and Ben what General Washington had said, they were well pleased also, and declared that the commander-in-chief should have cause to be satisfied with all three of them many times before the end of the war, and, as friends will find, if they read the succeeding volume of the Dare Boys Series, which will be ent.i.tled, "The Dare Boys on The Hudson," the brothers kept their word, and performed many, many wonderful deeds of daring while fighting for Liberty.

The British commander-in-chief now put in a week trying to get the patriot commander-in-chief to agree to peace, he stating that the king would make certain concessions, but as in accordance with the Declaration of Independence this was not to be thought of for a moment, the interviews came to naught, and so the British commander-in-chief began making preparations to continue the war. His next move, undoubtedly would be to capture New York City, and General Washington knew this would be an easy matter, so he made preparations to retreat to Harlem Heights, on the banks of the Hudson at the north end of Manhattan Island, where he would occupy a strategic position.

On the fifteenth of September the British made the move that was expected. Warships from Admiral Howe's fleet ascended the Hudson river as far as Bloomingdale, and the East River as far as Blackwell's Island, and while they bombarded the north end of the island, General Howe brought his army across from Brooklyn in boats, and landed at Kipp's Bay, near what is now the foot of 34th Street.

General Washington came down from the Heights with two brigades of patriot soldiers, with the purpose of holding the British in check long enough for General Putnam to evacuate the lower part of the city with the four thousand soldiers under him at that point. This was accomplished, and when Putnam and his men were safe on the Heights, the two brigades retired to the Heights also. The British then took possession of New York City, and so the two armies lay, the Continental on the Heights and the British in the city, confronting each other, on Manhattan Island.

It was an interesting situation, and especially so to d.i.c.k and Tom Dare and Ben Foster, who were now just beginning to feel that they were soldiers in the patriot army.

One evening, a few days after the British took possession of New York and the patriots took up their station on Harlem Heights, the commander-in-chief of the patriot army made the soldiers a stirring speech, as they were a.s.sembled at the center of the encampment, saying that he expected each and every soldier to do his full duty, and support the cause of Liberty with his life if need be. The speech made a great impression on d.i.c.k, Tom and Ben, and when they went to their quarters, they were enthusiastic about it.

"I'll tell you what, boys," said Tom Dare, "it was wonderful, the way General Washington talked, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Tom," agreed d.i.c.k, "and we'll come up to his expectations, too, or know the reason why."