dropped to the ground, and lying on his stomach, wriggled his way
around the tree-trunk, much after the fashion of a huge snake. He
glanced toward the approaching redcoats, and while he could see them
plainly, they being within seventy-five yards of him, they had not as
yet, he felt certain, discovered him. This gave him courage, and
quickly he reached the opening and crawled through it and into the
hollow within.

Crouching back as far from the opening as possible, Dick waited
anxiously for the coming of the British soldiers. Had they seen him as
he crawled through the opening? Would he be hauled out of the hollow
tree and made a prisoner? Dick could not say. All he could do was to
wait and see what would happen. If the redcoats had seen him, he would
certainly be captured, but if they had not, then he stood a chance of
escaping discovery, and when they passed, he could continue on his way
and deliver the message to General Stirling. How Dick wished that this
might be the case!

The moments that intervened before the redcoats reached the vicinity
of the tree were anxious ones for Dick. He sat there, crouching back
as far as possible from the opening, and waited, and as he heard the
footsteps and voices of the British soldiers, his heart came up into
his throat.

It was indeed a critical moment. It was a situation to try the nerve
of the bravest person.

Louder sounded the footsteps, plainer the voices of the redcoats.
Closer and closer the soldiers came, and then some of them appeared
opposite the opening. Dick's heart was in his mouth. He held his