Part 24 (2/2)

”Never so well in reed withto a knot of his athered about, ”this ht up the rear on thatI ever did when I detailed 'eh alive I never could understand And young Allison, here, is a chap as ith htin'

Indians out in the Ohio country I wish all the boys who've marched with ht on to New York an' capture Howe, bag an' baggage”

”When we take New York,” laughed Zeb, ”we'll need ether, I'ton tried to hold it, because Congress an' the country expected him to do the impossible But, Colonel, I will say as how if you led the way, thar'd not be one of 'ean, ouldn't be at yer back”

”Good! I like that kind of talk Meanwhile we'll get the kinks out of our legs hter,” remarked Zeb to Rodney, as they fell into line side by side

”Scarcely that,” replied Rodney, flushi+ng with pleasure as he thought of the introduction by his colonel ”I've been made prisoner by the a little fighting by the way”

”Anyhow, the colonel appears to like ye, an' that's a recommendation not to be sneezed at”

”I hope I can keep his good will I never saw a ht, asks no o himself

And he knohat the boys are thinkin' about, an' just how to e 'em”

”I was told that on the march to the Scioto one of his runtled for soan walked up to him and said, 'Coether and, when they cah he'd stolen a sheep; but ever after he didn't have to be told twice to do a thing”

Zeb laughed, saying, ”That sort of treatan never allowed one of his ed once himself”

”Yes, but he was too h the ordinary man who's been whipped seean won't allow it in his coan's men arrived at Morristown, Zeb and Rodney were the best of friends, and the latter had heard the story of the expedition to Quebec,[2] of Donald Lovell and what a fine lad he was, until he hoped that Zeb's wish, that they ranted

It was a very siress could do little but request), not over six hundred men had arrived The next twoit into condition, a very trying tian's co also to their commander, who always chafed under any sort of inaction What with target practice and drilling, all were kept out of mischief, however, and Rodney found that as a marksman he could ”hold his oith the best

Zeb, who had become his daily companion, received in May a letter from his old friend, Donald Lovell, rote that he had fully recovered fro Island the year before, and hoped soon to get back into the service

A corps, called Morgan's Rangers, was iinians, Pennsylvania ”Dutchmen,” men from the Carolinas, men from the frontier and Yankees Skill in the use of the rifle was a necessary qualification for membershi+p They were a fine lot of ned

The corps was divided into eight co, Swearingen, Parr, Boone, and Henderson, all anization of this corps was completed on June 13th, on which day it was ordered by Washi+ngton to watch for the approach of British scouting parties, for it was learned that Hoas to begin active operations The Aed to Middlebrook That very day two divisions of the British forces, one under Cornwallis and the other under DeHeister, set out froton, confident that, with a little ers had their first glimpse of the British under Cornwallis when the latter reached Somerset Court House, and, for several days, there was sharp skir parties

Rodney and Zeb were stationed one afternoon on one of the roads as pickets, when a co

The pickets' orders were to fire and fall back on the ht possible, in case of a small number of the eneh to cut them off This was the view taken both by Zeb and his coers was hurried forward to et between them and their main army, and make them prisoners Before this could be accomplished the British caers two to one, yet the latter would have charged them but for orders to halt and fire So quickly was the order obeyed that the crack of their rifles rang out together with the British officer's command to fire The British fired blindly into the smoke, whereas the rifle the Rangers was hit, and that was Rodney, he receiving a slight flesh wound in the left ar me,” he said, later, when Zeb discovered the blood on his friend's sleeve

The eneers, fell back in good order, carrying their dead with theer body met them, when the Americans retreated

Skirmishes like this were of daily occurrence, and Cornwallis, finding that Washi+ngton was not disposed to accoeous conditions, retreated to New Brunswick, with the Rangers dogging his flanks