was very thick.

The two British soldiers came strolling along, talking and laughing,
and presently they entered the clump of trees and sat down under the
very tree that Dick was in. Here they made themselves as comfortable
as possible, and lighting their pipes, smoked and talked lazily.

Dick listened eagerly, hoping to hear something that would be in the
nature of news, and of value to General Washington, but the soldiers
kept their conversation in personal channels, which was not of much
interest to Dick.

"I wish they would talk about the army, and what it intends to do,"
was Dick's thought.

But the redcoats did not do this. They talked of matters of no
importance or interest to Dick, and after staying an hour or so, they
get up and returned to the encampment.

Dick was disappointed. "I was in hopes that I would learn something
from their conversation," he muttered. "Well, perhaps some more
soldiers will visit the clump of trees to-day, and in that case I may
succeed in securing some information. I hope that such will be the
case, anyway."

Noon came, and no other soldiers had visited the clump of trees. Dick
was not discouraged, however. He felt that he would likely get a
chance to hear other soldiers talk that afternoon.

He ate the rest of his food, and then sat down beside a tree and took