The day after Tom Dare became a member of the company of British soldiers, he went with a party of about twenty on a trip toward the southward, where it was said the patriots were thick, nearly all being patriots in fact.

Captain Kane instructed Lieutenant Wicks, who was to have charge of the party, to plunder the patriot homes and take prisoners, where the patriots showed signs of resistance or anger.

“Bring them here,” he said, “and we will make them join our force and fight for the king.”

“All right, Captain Kane,” was the reply.

“I have heard,” went on the captain, “that General Greene is on his way to Ninety-Six, with a force of about one thousand men, and if he has as strong a force as that, then we will need all the men we can get, for we have only about six hundred.”

Then the party set out, and made its way toward the south. For several miles their route was through a region where the majority of the settlers were loyalists, and these were not bothered.

“There is a settlement about twenty miles from here, in among the mountains,” said the lieutenant to the soldiers nearest to him as they made their way along, “and it is made up wholly of rebels. I have been wanting to get a chance at them for a good while, and I am going straight there. We will help ourselves to any of their belongings that we care for, and will take the men prisoners and make them come back to Ninety-Six and fight for the king when General Greene puts in an appearance.”

“I know where that settlement is,” said one of the soldiers. “They are strong rebels, up there.”

“Yes, but we’ll make them wish they were loyal to the king before we get through with them,” said the lieutenant.

Tom listened to the conversation of the lieutenant and the soldiers with interest, and he began wondering if he could not manage to in some manner get word to the settlers of their danger.

“I’ll try to do so,” he decided. “If any opportunity is offered to me, I will slip away and try to get to the settlement ahead of the redcoats and warn the settlers.”

The party of British soldiers did not hurry. They did not care to reach the settlement until evening, anyway, and so they made their way along at a moderate pace, and stopped an hour and a half at noon, and after they had eaten, they proceeded at the same moderate pace, and it was getting along toward evening when the lieutenant said they were within two miles of the settlement, which was in a high valley, up in among the mountains.

At the point where they were when the lieutenant made this statement, they were making their way along a path that wound around the side of a mountain, and at one side the mountain stretched up hundreds of feet in the air, while to the other side there was almost a precipice. The descent for a hundred feet was quite steep, but not so steep but what a man might descend it, by using care. Tom Dare, who had been trying to think of some manner of giving the party the slip and getting to the settlement ahead of the redcoats, decided on a plan. It was dangerous, but he would try it anyhow, and his plan was to pretend to stumble and then fall and go sliding down the declivity. He would then get to his feet, make his way to the settlement and warn the settlers.

He managed to work his way over till he was close to the edge of the descent, and then suddenly he stumbled, gave a cry of seeming alarm, fell and went rolling over and over down the steep mountain-side.

The soldiers were greatly excited and yelled advice and encouragement to the youth, but he was rolling so rapidly that their voices came to him only in an inarticulate murmur. He did not understand their words, and could not have acted on any of the suggestions had he done so.

“Stop,” yelled one soldier.

“Grab hold of something,” cried another.

“Whirl your body around and stick your heels in the earth,” was the suggestion from another.

On rolled Tom, and although he did his best to lessen his speed, he could do little, and he went down the side of the mountain with terrible speed. Fortunately, however, he was able to grasp a long trailing vine and this enabled him to twist himself into a more perpendicular position. Presently, when about one hundred feet down, he shot over a little precipice and went fifteen or twenty feet downward, directly into the top of a stunted fir tree. On through the branches he went, being buffeted first one way and then the other, and finally fell to the ground alighting upon the mossy bank of a little rivulet. Had he had in advance the slightest conception of the danger of his undertaking, he certainly would not have made the venture.

Luckily the branches of the tree had broken his fall considerably, and although he was somewhat stunned by the fall, and dazed by the swift whirling, he was not seriously injured, and in a few moments he was enabled to sit up, and a little later he rose to his feet, shook himself, and began figuring on getting to the settlement ahead of the redcoats.

Then to his hearing came the words, from the lieutenant: “Tom Dare! Are you alive? Where are you?”

“They’ll be looking for me in a few moments,” thought Tom. “I must hurry away from here.”

He set out in the direction of the settlement, picking his way along carefully, and gradually he worked his way upward, and when he had gone about a mile, he reached the path the soldiers had been following when he rolled down the mountain-side.

Tom looked back, but saw no signs of the British soldiers. He could see only about two hundred yards, however, as the path bent around the side of the mountain.

Tom did not linger there, however, and after one swift glance back, he set out along the path on the run, and in about ten minutes emerged from the path into a high valley of perhaps three or four miles long and a mile and a half in width. At a point near the center he saw a group of log houses, and toward these he hastened.

It was now about supper time, and Tom decided that the settlers were all at their homes. This would be better than if the men were scattered about, in the fields, at work, for they could make preparations for defense quickly.

Tom kept glancing back over his shoulder as he ran toward the houses, and each time he looked, he expected to see the British soldiers coming. He had gone about halfway to the houses, however, before he caught sight of the redcoats. They were just entering the valley, and they must have caught sight of Tom and guessed what he was intending to do, for a yell went up from their lips that came to his hearing.

“They have seen and recognized me,” thought Tom. “Well, I have the start of them, and will reach the settlement in time to make it possible for the men to get ready to show fight.”

On ran the youth, and the redcoats could be seen to be running also, but they were not so swift-footed as Tom, and he reached the settlement while the redcoats were still more than half a mile distant.

Tom stopped at the first house he came to, and opened the door without ceremony and called out:

“A party of redcoats is coming to attack the settlement, sir. Get the men together quickly, if you want to make a fight.”

A man came hastily to the door, and cried: “What’s thet you say, young man? Redcoats comin’ here?”

“Yes, sir. You can see them, yonder, and--”

“Why, ye’re one yourself!” exclaimed the man, noting Tom’s British uniform.

“No, I’m a patriot that was forced to join their force. I was with that party, but got ahead of them, and came to warn you. Get the men together, quickly. How many are there in the settlement?”

“About twenty-five.”

“There are only twenty of the redcoats. We can whip them. Get the other men at once.”

“All right. I’ll go to part of the houses and give the alarm, you go to the rest.”

Then they hastened from house to house, warning the settlers, and in a less number of minutes than it takes to tell, the men were gathered at the edge of the settlement, rifles in hand, ready for the redcoats.

The women and children were told to leave the houses and retire up the mountain-side, in the shelter of the rocks, and they promptly did so.

“We’ll protect ourselves by hiding behind the houses and fire at the redcoats, and hold them back or drive them away,” asserted one of the settlers, who seemed to be looked upon as the leader. “If we can save our houses and household goods, we will do so; but if they are too strong for us, we can retreat up the mountainside.”

“We can drive them away, I think, sir,” said Tom.

“I hope so, young man.” And then the settler added: “We thank you for bringing us warning of the approach of the British.”

“You are welcome, sir. I am a patriot, and a member of the patriot army under General Greene, whose army is about sixty or seventy miles east and north from here. I was captured by the British and made to join their force, but did so with the intention of making my escape at the earliest possible moment.”

“Well, it is lucky for us that you brought us the news of the coming of the redcoats just when you did.”

“They are almost within rifle-shot distance now,” said one of the settlers.

“All right,” replied the leader. “Keep your eyes on them, and as soon as they are within range, begin firing. Take aim, and make every shot tell.”

A few moments later, the British soldiers were close enough for the bullets from the rifles to reach them, and the settlers began firing.

Yells of anger went up from the lips of the redcoats.