The other members of the family were still up, and they gave Miller and Fritz a joyous welcome. It was evident that they were glad to see the two, and that they felt much safer with them there.
“Did you learn how the affair at the island in the swamp turned out, Mr. Miller?” asked Lizzie Santon, eagerly.
“Yes,” was the reply. “The patriot settlers succeeded in driving the redcoats away.” And then he told what they had learned by listening to the conversation of the British soldiers after their return from their unsuccessful attempt to reach the island in the swamp.
“Oh, I am so glad to hear that the patriot families are safe!” exclaimed Mrs. Santon.
“Yes, but they are still in danger,” said Miller. And he told how the redcoats were going to keep up a siege. But he also told how Tim Murphy had gone to get a company of patriot soldiers to come and drive the raiders away, and rescue the patriots. He added that he did not have any doubts but that this would be done successfully.
Next morning, after breakfast, Fritz Schmockenburg and Herbert Miller said they would go and reconnoiter the enemy’s position, and see what they were doing.
“Be careful,” said Mr. Santon. “Don’t run into any of the enemy’s traps.”
“Yah, ve von’t let dem gatch us,” confidently rejoined Fritz.
So they said good-by, took their departure, and in about twenty minutes were close enough to the British to see that all was quiet in the encampment.
The redcoats were sitting around, talking and taking it easy, and did not seem to have any fear of being attacked, for they did not have any sentinels posted. Doubtless they had not yet learned that a patriot regiment was in the vicinity.
“They’re going to stay there and watch the path, and keep the patriot settlers from leaving the swamp,” determined Miller. “Doubtless the settlers have not very much in the way of food supplies with them on the island, and the redcoats figure on starving them out.”
“Yah, dot is der vay uf id, I bet you,” said Fritz.
Miller was silent and thoughtful a few minutes, and then said: “I wonder if there is another path leading to the swamp?”
“Uf der vos, der patriot seddlers could leave der island,” said the Dutch soldier.
“There might be a path reaching almost to the island,” said Miller. “The path might not be seen from the island, and yet might be reached by making a bridge of a fallen tree, and if that were the case, the settlers could escape.”