Stephen Angus Douglas Cox

“ Tom, knowing that it was General Greene’s intention to attempt to capture Ninety-Six, later on, took note of the surroundings with a keen and critical eye, and he decided that it would be a difficult matter to capture the fort, as it was strongly situated.
“If they have a strong force in the fort, it will be a big job to get the better of them,” he thought. “Well, I will try to learn all I can while I am here, and then if I succeed in making my escape, I will have some information to carry to General Greene.” ”

“ 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. ”

“ He led the way into the fort, where the youths found themselves the center of interest. The men, women and children of the families of the settlers looked at the youths wonderingly and inquiringly.
“You are strangers, sure enough,” said Mr. Holden.
“Yes,” said Dick. “Are you folks patriots?”
Holden nodded. “We are,” he said.
“Good. I’m glad of that. We are patriots also, and members of the army of General Greene, who is about one hundred miles north of here.”
“Ah, we are glad to hear that,” said Holden. “I wish that General Greene would come down here and give the Indians a thrashing.” ”

“ Then Dick turned and started swiftly down the slope, Tom and Ben keeping close at his heels, and from behind them came the wild, thrilling war-whoops of the redskins.
“They’re surely after us!” exclaimed Tom.
“Yes. We’ll have to make good time if we get away from them,” said Dick. “They may be spread out, I should judge so from their calls, and it may take them some time to get together.”
The patriot youths ran rapidly and glancing back over his shoulder, Dick saw that at least one of the redskins was coming after them as fast as he could travel. ”

“ Dick paused and gazed ahead, trying to penetrate the darkness, and then he saw what looked like two gleaming balls of fire, and then as another low, fierce growl came to his hearing, he realized the truth--that he was confronted by a wild animal of some kind, and from the sound of the growl he judged that the animal was likely a panther. ”

“ Closer and closer he came, until his nose was within six inches of the youth’s body; then, as he seemed on the point of springing upon him, Dick pushed out his arms suddenly, in an effort to frighten the wolf away. Instead, however, the wolf made a quick snap, and seized the rope in its teeth. In some manner the teeth became fastened in the rope, and as the animal leaped backward, in alarm, Dick was pulled off the bunk, and came to the floor with a thump. ”

“ About the middle of the afternoon there was seen to be considerable stir among the Indians to the northward, near the edge of the forest, and Mr. Holden, who, with Perkins and two or three others of the settlers, and Tom and Ben, were standing on the platform, watching, said:
“Look. There’s that renegade-Tory, Gabe Gurley.”
Sure enough, a white man was seen standing among the redskins, and it could be seen that he was an exceedingly large man, a giant in size, in fact. He was talking to the Indians, and gesticulating, and they were listening with evident interest. ”

“ Hearing that the Cherokee Indians were on the warpath, having been incited thereto by the British, and that they were committing a good many depredations and killing patriot settlers, were burning and pillaging, General Greene had sent the youths to learn the actual facts, for, if the Indians were committing as great a havoc as had been stated, he would push on down into that region as quickly as he could move his forces, and try to put a stop to their depredations. ”

“ This was the first time they had ever had anything to do with fighting Indians, and they were glad that they had come down into this region of the Cherokees, for there was a peculiar glamour to this kind of warfare that did not attach to fighting against the redcoats.
“Dick will miss most of the fighting by going on the trip,” said Tom.
“Yes, but there will be plenty of Indian fighting after he gets back,” said Ben.
“Yes, likely. And it will be a great relief to the people of this part of the country when the patriot soldiers get down here and get after the redskins.” ”

“ The next moment a volley rang out, and ten or twelve of the Indians fell dead or seriously wounded, while several of those who were able to run, were wounded less severely.
Then the soldiers came forward on the run, firing their pistols, and the Indians fled at the top of their speed, their yells of fear, dismay and anger commingled.
They did not try to take their prisoner with them. Those unharmed were glad to get away with their lives, and Dick’s comrades quickly freed his arms, as he explained how he came to be in the hands of the redskins. ”

“ The youths now saw that there were logs in the advancing waters, swirling and pounding, and grinding against one another.
The Indians that had started to climb the tree had slid back down to the earth, and all stood at the edge of the precipice, staring down upon the youths, whom they doubtless believed to be doomed. ”

“ The wolf, however, angered, again sprang at Dick, and the youth, being unable to get out of the way owing to his feet being tied, seized a stool that was at hand and struck at the wolf, causing the animal to struggle back, with a snarl of rage. ”

“ But suddenly a party of Indians numbering thirty or forty put in an appearance and made an attack on the settlers, who seized their rifles--which they always took to the field with them--and firing at the redskins a few times, they ran to the settlement as fast as possible, the Indians following, yelling in a blood-thirsty manner. ”

“ He was not much alarmed, as he was sure he could reach the edge of the forest before the redcoats could get within musket-shot distance, and then he could evade his pursuers in the underbrush and darkness, he felt certain. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The brave patriot youth realized that they were going to have a much harder time shaking these Indians off their trail than they usually had with the redcoats. The British soldiers were rather clumsy and slow, but these redskins were lithe as panthers, and as speedy, almost, and could continue running for hours.
“Do your best, boys,” he told his companions. “For I believe that they are gaining on us.”
“Run as fast as you can, Dick,” panted Tom; “we’ll keep up with you.”
“We’ll try, at any rate,” said Ben. ”

“ General Greene did not like to name anyone for this dangerous work, and so he called for volunteers. A dozen of the soldiers, Dick and Tom Dare and Ben Foster among them, stepped forward at once, and offered their services.
“I expected that there would be plenty who would be willing to risk getting shot in order to render a service to the patriot Cause,” said the general. “But, how shall I choose from among you?”
“By lot,” suggested a soldier. And this was done, and the result was that Dick Dare and Tim Murphy were the ones who were to venture up to the wall of the fort and set the fire. ”

“ Over at one side was a little group of log houses, ten in number, these being the homes of the families living in Peaceful Valley. The settlers had built the houses near together, for protection against the Indians. And in the center of the settlement was a very strong log building, surrounded by a thick stockade wall, with a strong gate, and the building in question was intended as a sort of fort, to retreat to, in case of an overwhelming attack by Indians. In the building there was kept constantly a goodly supply of provisions, so that it would have been possible to stand quite a siege. ”

“ In the lead rode General Greene and some of the officers, and Dick, while behind came the soldiers, marching steadily, and with a grim, determined look on their faces. They knew that they were going to the rescue of a party of settlers surrounded by redskins, and were eager to reach their destination and get a chance at the Indians. ”

“ Dick left the cabin and made his way through the forest, heading northward, and hastened onward as rapidly as he could. He had already lost considerable time, and he was eager to reach the patriot encampment as quickly as possible, and get General Greene and his army started to the rescue of the settlers in the fort in Peaceful Valley.
At noon Dick stopped at the house of a settler, and ate dinner there. He learned that the settler was a patriot, and told him where he was going, and why, and the settler told him he could have one of his horses to ride. ”

“ They are mean when they get their mad up, and these seem to be very much in earnest.”
“Yes,” said Holden. “We wounded several of them when they were chasing us into the settlement. This naturally aroused their anger.”
“It was bad enough to have to live in a neighborhood where there are a good many Tories, without having to be bothered with the Injuns too,” said another of the settlers.
“The redcoats have put them up to going on the war-path,” said Perkins. “It was a mean trick to do, to get them started.”
“You’re right,” agreed Holden, “but look at that terribly black cloud over to the north. ”

“ About two hours after Dick Dare left the fort, the Indians made the attack. They tried to take the settlers by surprise, by slipping up to the fort, but were discovered and fired upon, and then they uttered wild yells and made a desperate attack.
The settlers made a strong and determined defense, firing as fast as they could reload their rifles, and the calls of the redskins were varied by yells and shrieks of pain, proving that some of the bullets found lodgment in the bodies of the redskins. ”

“ The settlers pursued the fleeing soldiers, and kept after them till they left the valley and were making their way along the path on the side of the mountain. Then the settlers paused and held a council.
“Now what shall we do next?” asked one of the settlers.
“A few of us will stay here and guard the entrance to the valley,” replied Tom. “And the rest will climb to the top of the precipice and gather stones and place them where they will be handy to roll down on the heads of the redcoats when they come.”
“That is good advice, I think,” said Mr. Hicks. “We will do that.” ”

“ They charged up the slope, toward the patriot position, but the patriots, crouching in the ditch, with the earthwork before them, were in a protected position, and as soon as the redcoats were within range, they opened fire.
The battle was on, and a lively battle it was, for a while. The rattle of the musketry and pistols was loud, and the yells of pain from the wounded British soldiers added to the din. The patriots were not injured much, because the bullets from the enemy’s weapons did not penetrate the earthworks. ”

“ They are fighting for their independence, which they are entitled to, which doesn’t make them rebels.”
“Well, they’ll never get their independence,” was the colonel’s reply. “They will lose the fight, and will have to again take up their allegiance to the king.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t believe it,” was the reply.
“If you will join a company of loyalists that I have formed, here, I will overlook your past actions in trying to organize a company of rebels,” said the colonel.
Harkins shook his head. “I will never take up arms in the service of the king,” he said. ”

“ Fritz was not a coward by any means, but he was always a bit fearful of being slipped up on by an enemy in the darkness, and so he stood there, looking eagerly around, and listening intently.
He heard occasional sounds, such as are usually to be heard in the timber at night, and at each sound he would grip his musket tightly, and face in the direction the sound came from, ready to fire if an enemy appeared. ”

“ The colonel shook his head. “I think I shall hold you prisoner, unless you join the company,” he said, “so you had better join.”
“Very well.”
The colonel then ordered that Tom be conducted to the quarters occupied by Captain Kane and his company of loyalists, and soon the youth stood in the captain’s presence. When the soldier that had conducted Tom thither explained to Captain Kane that Tom was to be a new recruit, the captain said: “Very well; glad to have all the recruits I can get. What is your name?”
“Tom Dare.”
The captain wrote this in a book. Then he asked: “Where do you live?” ”