CHAPTER VIII
A Battle with a Wolf
The battle between Dick Dare and the wolf went on fiercely, in the oldcabin in the forest. The wolf was lithe and nimble, and evaded themajority of the blows aimed at it by the youth, but at the same time itdared not get close enough to bite, for fear of getting hit.
Had Dick's ankles been free, he would have been able to defend himselfmuch easier, and could soon have landed some telling blows, but hisankles were tied, and he could not get around very well, having to stayin one position, and merely keep turning his face toward the animal asit made its rushes toward him.
Finally, however, the youth managed to land a hard blow on the head ofthe wolf, with the heavy stool, which knocked the animal off its feet.Seeing his advantage, Dick threw himself forward, and struck the wolfseveral blows, till finally the animal stretched out, apparentlylifeless.
"Thank goodness!" murmured Dick, dropping to a sitting posture, andpanting at a great rate. "That was about the fiercest battle I ever had.Now, to get my ankles free."
He drew a clasp-knife from his pocket and cut the rope binding his legs.Then he sat down and chafed his ankles, till he got the blood tocirculating again. This done, he went to the door and looking out, sawthat the coast seemed to be clear.
"I guess Gurley won't be back for quite a while," thought Dick. "I willset out at once and make my way to the patriot encampment."
Dick left the cabin and made his way through the forest, headingnorthward, and hastened onward as rapidly as he could. He had alreadylost considerable time, and he was eager to reach the patriot encampmentas quickly as possible, and get General Greene and his army started tothe rescue of the settlers in the fort in Peaceful Valley.
At noon Dick stopped at the house of a settler, and ate dinner there. Helearned that the settler was a patriot, and told him where he was going,and why, and the settler told him he could have one of his horses toride.
"Thank you, sir," said Dick. "That is kind of you. I'll leave the horsehere as we come back."
"That's all right, Dick Dare. I am a patriot an' want to do all I can tohelp get help to the patriot settlers in Peaceful Valley."
Dick thanked him again, and a few minutes later was mounted on a horseand riding northward proceeding now at a rapid pace. He believed that hewould be able to reach the patriot encampment by noon of the next day,and by pushing onward nearly through the night, he was enabled to do so.
As soon as he reached the encampment, he went to the headquarters tent,and found General Greene and some of the other officers there, amongthem Captain Morgan, of Dick's own company.
"Ah, Dick, how are you?" greeted the general, shaking the youth's hand.
"I am feeling well, sir," was the reply. And then Dick, after shakinghands with the other officers, said: "I have important news for you,sir."
"Let's hear the news, Dick?" eagerly.
"Very well, sir." And then Dick told about the desperate needs of thesettlers of Peaceful Valley, whose homes had been burned by the Indians,and who were now in the little fort, surrounded by the Indians, whowould undoubtedly capture the patriots soon if help was not vouchsafed.
"How far is the fort from here?" asked General Greene.
"Nearly a hundred miles, I should judge."
"A good three days' march from here," said the general. "I think we hadbetter break camp and start with the entire force. Give the orders toyour respective companies, officers. We will move at once."
The officers saluted and hastened out, and Dick remained to answer thequestions that General Greene wished to ask about the location of thefort, the number of the settlers, and particulars concerning theIndians, etc.
Within an hour after dinner, the little army was ready to start, and atthe word from General Greene, it set out on the march.
In the lead rode General Greene and some of the officers, and Dick,while behind came the soldiers, marching steadily, and with a grim,determined look on their faces. They knew that they were going to therescue of a party of settlers surrounded by redskins, and were eager toreach their destination and get a chance at the Indians.
When evening came, they stopped for a brief interval on the bank of alittle stream. Here they built campfires, cooked and ate supper, andafter resting an hour, set out again, it being moonlight till aftermidnight.
They marched till the moon went down and it grew so dark they could notsee to make their way onward. Then they stopped and went into camp forthe rest of the night.
They were up early next morning, however, these hardy patriots and afterhaving eaten breakfast, again set out, marching steadily onward tillnoon, stopping then less than an hour, to eat a cold bite for dinner.
They kept up the march till near midnight, again, with stops for supper,and to rest a few minutes at a time. Then slept four or five hours, andwere up and away again.
They arrived in the vicinity of Peaceful Valley about the middle of thefollowing afternoon, and stopped about a mile away, while Dick wentforward to reconnoiter and see what the Indians were doing, to ascertainif they were still there and the fort had not been captured.
Dick advanced at a moderate pace, keeping a sharp lookout around him,till within about a third of a mile of the edge of the valley, and thenhe made his way forward at a slower pace, pausing frequently, to lookabout him, to see if there were any signs of redskins in the vicinity.
Presently he paused and took a position behind a tree, gazing steadilyahead. He had caught sight of the Indians. He got down on his hands andknees and crawled forward, till he reached a point from which he couldsee the fort, and after a careful survey, he came to the conclusion thatthe Indians had not succeeded as yet in making the settlers surrender.
"Good," thought Dick. "I'll return and make my report to GeneralGreene."
As he started to turn, however, to make his way back to where he hadleft the patriot soldiers, he heard a rustling sound, and the nextmoment he was confronted by seven or eight Indian warriors, who hadappeared from behind trees.
Dick was taken by surprise, but did not intend to permit the redskins tocapture him, if he could help it, and drawing his pistols, he fired twoshots quickly, dropping one Indian, dead, and wounding another. Then hesprang forward, in an attempt to make his escape, but the redskins,giving utterance to thrilling war-cries, leaped upon him and bore himstruggling to the ground.
He fought fiercely, for he wanted to make his escape and get back withthe patriot soldiers and help make the attack on the savages, but theredskins were too numerous and too strong. He presently, therefore,found himself made a prisoner, his wrists being bound with a piece ofthong.
Then he was dragged forward into the presence of the main party of thetribe, who had appeared in all directions when they heard the shots andyells, and were advancing toward the spot where the encounter had takenplace.
Dick was a prisoner in the hands of the redskins, within a few hundredyards of the settlers in the fort, and also within half a mile of thepatriot soldiers.