Part 14 (1/2)

”We're ready to pay,” Peter said, drawing some money from his pocket.

”Then come in and sit down.”

In a few minutes an excellent breakfast was put before them.

”You are on your way to join the army, of course?” the farmer asked.

”Jest that,” Peter replied. ”We think it's about our time to do a little shooting, though I don't suppose there'll be much done till the spring.”

”I don't know,” the farmer said. ”I should not be surprised if the general wakes up them Germans when the Delaware gets frozen. I heard some talk about it from some men who came past yesterday. Their time was expired, they said, and they were going home. I hear, too, that they are gathering a force down near Mount Holly, and I reckon that they are going to attack Bordentown.”

”Is that so?” Peter asked. ”In that case we might as well tramp in that direction. It don't matter a corn-shuck to us where we fight, so as it's soon. We've come to help lick these British, and we means to do it.”

”Ah!” the farmer said, ”I have heard that sentiment a good many times, but I have not seen much come of it yet. So far, it seems to me as the licking has been all the other way.”

”That's so,” Peter agreed. ”But everyone knows that the Americans are just the bravest people on the face of the habitable arth. I reckon their dander's not fairly up yet; but when they begin in arnest you'll see what they'll do.”

The farmer gave a grunt which might mean anything. He had no strong sympathies either way, and the conduct of the numerous deserters and disbanded men who had pa.s.sed through his neighborhood had been far from impressing him favorably.

”I don't pretend to be strong either for the Congress or the king. I don't want to be taxed, but I don't see why the colonists should not pay something toward the expenses of the government; and now that Parliament seems willing to give all we ask for, I don't see what we want to go on fighting for.”

”Waal!” Peter exclaimed in a tone of disgust, ”you're one of the half-hearted ones.”

”I am like the great majority of the people of this country. We are of English stock and we don't want to break with the Old Country; but the affairs have got into the hands of the preachers, and the newspaper men, and the chaps that want to push themselves forward and make their pile out of the war. As I read it, it's just the civil war in England over again. We were all united at the first against what we considered as tyranny on the part of the Parliament, and now we have gone setting up demands which no one dreamed of at first and which most of us object to now, only we have no longer the control of our own affairs.”

”The great heart of this country beats for freedom,” Peter Lambton said.

”Pooh!” said the farmer contemptuously. ”The great heart of the country wants to work its farms and do its business quietly. The English general has made fair offers, which might well be accepted; and as for freedom, there was no tyranny greater than that of the New England States. As long as they managed their own affairs there was neither freedom of speech nor religion. No, sir; what they call freedom was simply the freedom to make everyone else do and think like the majority.”

”Waal, we won't argue it out,” Peter said, ”for I'm not good at argument, and I came here to fight and not to talk. Besides, I want to get to Mount Holly in time to jine in this battle, so I guess we'll be moving.”

Paying for the breakfast, they started at once in the direction of Mount Holly, which lay some twenty-five miles away. As they approached the place early in the afternoon they overtook several men going in the same direction. They entered into conversation with them, but could only learn that some 450 of the militia from Philadelphia and the counties of Gloucester and Salem had arrived on the spot. The men whom they had overtaken were armed countrymen who were going to take a share in the fight on their own account.

Entering the place with the others, Peter found that the information given him was correct.

”We better be out of this at once,” he said to Harold, ”and make for Bordentown.”

”You don't think that there is much importance in the movement,” Harold said as they tramped along.

”There aint no importance whatever,” Peter said, ”and that's what I want to tell 'em. They're never thinking of attacking the two thousand Hessians at Bordentown with that ragged lot.”

”But what can they have a.s.sembled them for within twelve miles of the place?” Harold asked.

”It seems to me,” the hunter replied, ”that it's jest a trick to draw the Germans out from Bordentown and so away from Trenton. At any rate, it's well that the true account of the force here should be known.

These things gets magnified, and they may think that there's a hull army here.”

It was getting dusk when they entered Bordentown, and Harold was glad when he saw the little town, for since sunset on the evening before they had tramped nearly sixty miles. The place seemed singularly quiet. They asked the first person they met what had become of the troops, and they were told that Colonel Donop, who commanded, had marched an hour before with his whole force of 2000 men toward Mount Holly, leaving only 80 men in garrison at Bordentown.

”We are too late,” Harold said. ”They have gone by the road and we kept straight through the woods and so missed them.”

”Waal, I hope no harm 'ill come of it. I suppose they mean to attack at daylight, and in course that rabble will run without fighting. I hope, when the colonel sees as how thar's no enemy ther worth speaking of, he'll march straight back again.”