“I’m glad you did. And, now, who are you, if I may ask, and where are you from? I don’t think you live in this part of the country.”
“We are soldiers,” said Fritz. “Ve belong mit der army.”
“I didn’t know there was a patriot army in this part of the country,” said Miller.
“We just got here,” explained Tim. “There is a rigimint, an’ it is encamped about twinty miles from here.”
“Ve haf come down here to fighd Arnold,” said Fritz.
“That is good. He has been causing the patriots a lot of trouble since he came down into Virginia.”
“Thot is what we have understood,” said Tim, “An’ we have seen some av their work, already.”
“Well, ye know there is a patriot sittlemint a couple av moiles from here, av coorse.”
“Why, a party av about twenty ridcoats wint there, this avenin’, intendin’ to rob the sittlers an’ burn the houses, but whin they got there, the sittlers were all gone, an’ had taken their household goods wid thim.”
“Ah, they must have been warned of the approach of the redcoats. I am glad of that.”
“Yis, an’ they wint into a swamp thot is about a moile or so from the sittlemint.”
“Ve ain’d so sure abouid dot,” said Fritz. “Der retgoads haf followed der settlers into der swamp.”
“You don’t say so!” exclaimed Miller. “That is bad.”
“Yis, so it is,” agreed Tim. “Fritz an’ mesilf were goin’ to stay at the place where the path inters the swamp, an’ wait till the ridcoats came out, an’ learn what success they had, but thot party av Tories came past, an’ we heard thim talkin’ about givin’ a rebel school-teacher a whippin’, an’ so, thinkin’ we could mebby do more good by followin’ thim, we did so.”
“And I’m glad you did. But, supposing we go to the point where the path enters the swamp? The redcoats are likely not back out of the swamp yet, and--”
At this moment the sound of musket-shots came to their hearing, and Tim exclaimed “They’re foightin’, now!”
“You are right,” said Miller. “I hope the settlers will be able to drive the redcoats away from the island.”
“Mebby dey vill be able to do dot,” said Fritz.
“Let’s load our pistols and go to the point where the path reaches the mainland,” said Tim. “Oi would loike to be there whin the ridcoats get back.”
“Yes, let’s go at once,” said Miller. “But, if you don’t mind, we will go past the Santon home. It isn’t much out of our way, and I want them to know that I was rescued from the hands of the Tories and was not injured.”