THE DARE BOYS WITH GENERAL GREENE

CHAPTER I

The Dare Boys and the Indians

Three youths of perhaps twenty years of age were making their way through the forest. The locality was about fifty miles from Ninety-Six, in South Carolina, and Ninety-Six was so called because it was approximately that number of miles from Fort Price George. This was the nearest fort of any size.

The three youths were no others than Dick and Tom Dare, and their comrade, Ben Foster, who had been members of the patriot army of America for a considerable period--for it was now May of the year 1781.

These youths, who had done brave fighting, were also famous for having done much good work as scouts, messengers and spies, and they were now on a scouting and spying expedition, ordered by General Greene, their company having been sent down from Virginia into South Carolina to help General Greene. The objective point was Ninety-Six, but there had been lots of fighting to do with parties of British and Tories, and the advance southward had been slow. 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.

So here the youths were, and they were moving slowly and cautiously; indeed a settler that they had met a few miles back had told them that the Cherokees were in this vicinity, and had advised the youths to be very careful or they would be interfered with.

They came to the top of a knoll, and pausing, looked ahead with keen and searching gaze. At first they saw nothing noteworthy, but presently, Dick uttered a low exclamation indicating interest and indicating with his extended arm, said: “I believe I saw an Indian over there!”

“Where?” asked Tom, eagerly.

Dick pointed in the direction in which he thought he had seen the Indian, and the three youths all gazed eagerly. For a few moments they did not make out any sign of a living being, but suddenly out from behind a tree about a hundred yards distant appeared a bronzed face. The head was covered with thick, straight hair, and topped, it was seen, with eagle feathers.

“There he is!” exclaimed Tom, excitedly, but in a low voice.

“Sh,” cautioned Dick. They stood perfectly still, and hoped that because of the fact that they were pretty well hidden behind the underbrush upon the top of the knoll, they would not be observed. They did not know how keen-eyed a Cherokee Indian was, however, for suddenly a loud, thrilling war-whoop escaped the lips of the redskin, and then from several different directions the whoop was answered.

“He’s calling his companions!” exclaimed Ben. “We are in danger of capture, Dick!”

“Yes, I guess we had better get away from here.” In a moment he added, “Follow me, boys.”

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. 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.

On they dashed, and after them, whooping in a manner that would have filled the hearts of less brave youths with terror, came the Indians. Doubtless the red fiends thought they would easily surround the fugitives, and make escape impossible. Presently Dick and his party came to a deep gulch or ravine. The wall on their side was nearly perpendicular, and they could not descend it. Here was a predicament indeed. They paused, irresolute, and looked to the right and to the left, only to see that the wall of the gulch was as steep everywhere within sight. They could see for quite a distance too in either direction, as the point where they were standing rather projected out toward the other side.

The yelling of redskins determined the fact that they were within a few hundred yards and swiftly cutting down the distance. And, too, they were spreading out, fan-shape, with the evident intention of hemming the youths in and preventing them from going up or down the edge of the gulch. Of course they knew full well the contour of the land and thought they had their intended prey, as it were, in a trap.

“There doesn’t seem to be any escape for us, Dick,” said Ben.

“Gracious,” cried Tom. “Look at that black cloud to the north.” It had not attracted their attention before, but now they saw that a terrible storm was impending.

Dick looked eagerly around, and suddenly he pointed to a very tall, slender tree, of some growth he did not recognize, that stood close to the edge of the precipice. The rains had washed out the earth from about the roots and the tree was inclined at an angle well out over the ravine.

“Quick!” he cried. “Let’s climb that tree and swing over the precipice. It will bend and will let us down I think to within twelve or fifteen feet of the bottom of the gulch.”

“That’s an idea worth trying,” cried Tom, and he was first to tackle the task and was quickly followed by Dick and Ben.

The three occasionally assisting one another made rapid progress and Dick meantime further explained his project. Their united weight would bend down the long slender trunk and at his command all were to drop at once into the depth beneath. Where would they land? There was not time to think.

While the Indians were yet at some distance, the youths found that their weight was effectively bending down the tree into the ravine. The change was gradual at first, and then the more slender wood gave quicker response to the strain, so that finally it bent so low into the depths below that the boys instead of climbing up were sliding down toward the tree top. Before the Indians reached a point where they could observe the boys they had disappeared below the level of the ground which marked the margin of the declivity.

Down, farther and farther went the patriot youths, and as the redskins came upon the scene they saw their intended victims slipping out of their hands in a most peculiar manner. They gave expression to their chagrin in yells of rage, brandished their tomahawks, and threatened to discharge arrows, but did neither. It seemed evident, from this, that they wished to capture the youths alive. Doubtless they knew the three were newcomers in that region, and wished to find out why they were there. Possibly they were working in co-operation with the British and had been instructed to capture any strangers seen and bring them to the officer in command.

Anyhow, they did not discharge any arrows or throw any tomahawks, which probably saved the youths’ lives, for the Indians, being expert in the use of those weapons, could hardly have missed at so short a