FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   >>   >|  
s and battery horses, and camp-followers enough for a division. 'Twill be easy work attending to them, and most of his troops are Dutch and Tories." My horse was in ill condition, limping sadly, although I could not discover the cause, and I walked with the men, leading the animal, through the smouldering clouds of dust. It was a hot, still night, and Morgan marched us swiftly, with few pauses for rest. By daylight we came up with the New Jersey militia, lying at rest along the bank of the Millstone River, waiting their turn to ford that stream, and join Maxwell on the opposite shore. From where I stood I could see the thin lines of Continentals spreading out like a fan, as the skirmishers advanced up the opposite bluffs. Down the trampled bank, men were struggling with a light battery, and suddenly in the press of figures I came upon Farrell. He was mud from head to foot, his face streaked with it, but he looked up with beaming eyes as I spoke his name, and our hands clasped. "I thought you would be over there with Maxwell," he said, pointing across at the black dots, now clearly distinguishable in the glow of sunshine. "I was left behind, and came up just now with Morgan," I replied. "But I am anxious enough to be with my own fellows. What means that skirmish line, Farrell? Are we already in touch with Clinton?" He swept the hair out of his eyes with his great fist. "No one knows exactly, but the British are not far off, and are headed this way. A scout came through with the news two hours ago--Clinton has taken the road to Monmouth." He chuckled grimly, glancing at my face. "And who think ye the lad was who told us?" "Who?" my throat tightening. "The same you was so anxious about a few days back." "Mortimer! Eric Mortimer?" "Aye, unless my eyes fail me already, it was the boy." "You are sure? You saw him?" "Well, I had a glimpse, as he came up the bank here from the ford, his horse dripping. It was dark still, and he only stopped to ask the road. I knew the voice, and the form--the lad is as slender as a girl--then he went by me, digging his horse with the spurs, and lying close. He had a Dragoon's cape flapping from his shoulders, but 'twas the boy all right. Ah! there go the guns up the bank. Now, perhaps, they'll let me take my fighting dogs across." The way was open for me, at least, and I swung up into the saddle, and drove my horse down the slippery shore into the water. The stream was
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152  
153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

stream

 

opposite

 

Maxwell

 
Clinton
 
anxious
 

Mortimer

 
Farrell
 

Morgan

 

battery

 

chuckled


Monmouth
 

saddle

 

grimly

 

fighting

 

glancing

 
slippery
 

British

 

headed

 

tightening

 
stopped

shoulders

 
dripping
 

flapping

 

Dragoon

 

digging

 

slender

 

glimpse

 
throat
 

daylight

 

Jersey


militia

 

pauses

 

swiftly

 

marched

 

Millstone

 

waiting

 

clouds

 

smouldering

 

attending

 

troops


horses

 

followers

 

division

 

Tories

 

discover

 

walked

 
leading
 

animal

 

condition

 

limping