He glanced keenly at Rolf. "Are
you General Hampton's scout?" Rolf nodded and showed the badge on
his breast. "Captain Forsyth sent this back," he gasped. "His
last words were, 'Burn the despatches rather than let the British
get them.' They got him -- a foraging party -- there was a spy at
the hotel. I got away, but my tracks are easy to follow unless it
drifts. Don't wait."
Poor boy, his arm was broken, but he carried out the dead
officer's command, then left them to seek for relief in the
settlement.
Night was near, but Rolf broke camp at once and started eastward
with the double packet. He did not know it then, but learned
afterward that these despatches made clear the weakness of
Oswego, Rochester, and Sackett's Harbour, their urgent need of
help, and gave the whole plan for an American counter attack on
Montreal. But he knew they were valuable, and they must at once
be taken to General Hampton.
It was rough, hard going in the thick woods and swamps away from
the river, for he did not dare take the ice route now, but they
pushed on for three hours, then, in the gloom, made a miserable
camp in a cedar swamp.
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