not come back all night," he said, and Dick knew that hereferred to his father. "I do not think he will return. He is afraid tocome back. I shall be very glad to leave the city because I think Ishall get more work outside and mother and the children will do muchbetter."
"I think it will be better for you all," Dick returned. "If the enemygets hold of the city there will be much suffering, I am afraid. If youleave you will avoid this. I can find you a place where there will bework enough for all, and where you will not be troubled by your fatherwhen he is in his cups."
"He is always in them of late years and has greatly changed towardmother and all of us. The little children are afraid of him and will notgo near him, but I must protect my mother."
"That is right, Tom. Always do it. Perhaps if your father stopped hisbad habits he would be better again, but it is best for you to go awayfrom him entirely and live apart until you see what changes time maybring about."
"Yes, I think so, and I shall go as far away as I can and start formyself. You know some good place?"
"Yes, and I can put your mother and the little ones, with good peoplewhere they will be taken care of until you are established, and they canlook out for themselves. We live in Westchester, about twenty milesaway, which will be far enough to keep your father from finding you andnot too far away to get plenty of work."
"I shall be very glad to go there," simply.
"My mother and sister and the lieutenant's parents and sister livethere, besides many of the boys' families, and it will be no difficultmatter to get you all the work you can do, and work for your mother aswell. It will be a better place to live than the city, and you will bein no danger from your father."
"I would like a place like that," said Tom. "It would be better for allof us!"
"Then I will make arrangements for your mother and the children to go upthere at once and you can follow shortly. The enemy will eventually getpossession of the city, and you will be better off out of it than in it.
"I will get ready as soon as you say, Captain," shortly.
"Then I think you had better not delay, for I believe that it is amatter of a few days only, perhaps not more than one, when the enemywill be in possession."
The boy then went away, and in half an hour Alice and Edith came to thecamp, and Dick told them about Tom and his mother.
"I think you had better return shortly, Alice," he added, "and take theboy's mother and the little children with you. Tom will very soonestablish himself when he gets there and will be much better off than inNew York."
The girls were ready to go very shortly, for the evidences of theenemy's preparations to seize the city were more and more visible. Oneor two ships had gone up the East River the previous night, and theships were all much nearer to the city than they had been the daybefore. After Alice and Edith had gone, Dick and Bob went down to thelower end of the city to investigate, and found one or two ships atGovernor's Island, just opposite, the people in the lower sections beingin a state of considerable anxiety.
"That looks as if there might be something going on in a short time,"muttered Bob.
"I think so myself, and I am glad that I suggested to the girls thatthey had better leave. The British are getting ready to invade the city,and we don't know how soon they may attack us on all sides."
"Then we will all have to get out or else be obliged to run theblockade."
"Exactly, and we must learn all we can of Howe's moves."
During the afternoon Tom came to the camp with his mother and the littlechildren, reporting that his father had not been seen since the nightbefore, and that he thought the man feared arrest and had fled or was inhiding in some of the lower quarters of the city. Dick obtained a horseand chaise to take the mother and children, Tom driving, being more orless used to horses. The two girls came in just as these preparationshad been completed, and it was shortly after dinner that they allstarted on their way to White Plains.
They were all glad to get away, and Tom was particularly pleased at theprospect of getting his mother out of the city, where her health andthat of the children would be greatly improved, and where they would allbe free from the fear of the father. When they all set out, the boysgave them a hearty cheer, and Dick and Bob went away with them,intending to ride a few miles and take a look at the river on the way.The boys left him at the Greenwich village and then came back by theriver road, in order to see whatever might be going on. They weresomething below the old village, when, nearing a tavern by the roadside,Dick reined in and said excitedly:
"There is that rascal now! I hope he has not seen us."
"Which rascal do you mean, Dick?" asked Bob, halting just behind Dickand looking around.
"Hughson, the spy. I did not see his face, but I know his figure. He isdressed as a drover and will probably go into the city, thinking that wedo not know him."
"Was he at the inn, Dick?"
"Yes, drinking home-brew and smoking a long pipe, taking his comfort,evidently. As I saw his back only, it is not likely that he saw me."
"We ought to catch him, Dick."
"Yes, and this is a good place, as there are no Tories in the village,and the people of the inn will help us. Take the rear, Bob, and I willgo to the front of the house."
The boys separated, Dick riding at once to the front door of the inn anddismounting. He saw the man at one of the windows and was sure of him.In a moment the fellow turned, saw Dick and started for the rear. As hewas going out, he suddenly saw Bob, who said quickly:
"Good morning, Mr. Hughson. I trust you had a comfortable night afteryour adventures on the river."
"I don't know you, my lad," returned the man, with a broad accent, "andmy name is not Hughson. I'm in a bit of a hurry, and---"
"Your name may not be Hughson, fast enough, but you are a British spyand we want you. You do know me, but I will refresh your memory a bit. Iam Lieutenant Bob Estabrook of the Liberty Boys, and you were capturedby us a night or two ago in the city."
"Never saw you in my life, and I am not a spy, but as good a rebel asyourself," and the man hurried to the barn at the rear of the house.
"You are not a patriot," said Bob, following. "We do not call ourselvesrebels."
Then Bob imitated the crowing of a cock, and in a moment Dick came outand hurried forward. Hughson turned at the sound, saw Dick almost uponhim, and whipped out a pistol. In an instant, however, Bob was upon himwith a pistol at his head and his other hand on the spy's wrist.
Then Hughson suddenly found himself covered by a pistol in Dick's hand,the young captain saying:
"Take his weapon, Bob, and see if he has any others. Mr. Hughson, youare wanted in the city. Do you prefer going there dead or would yourather go alive?"
The man blanched, for he knew that he was in desperate straits and thathis chances of escape were slight. He made a sudden dash, wrenching hishand free and attempted to fire at Dick, but Bob, by a quick thrustingout of his left foot, sent him upon his face on the grass. A man and aboy came running from the barn, and two housemaids appeared at the reardoor shortly, followed by the landlord. Dick and Bob sprang forward andseized the man as he arose, holding him firmly.
"What is the trouble, Captain?" asked, the landlord, recognizing Dick,whom he had met before.
"We have caught a British spy, Boniface. He is a troublesome fellow andhas already made his escape once."
"Bless my heart! A British spy, say you? Why, he told me he was a drovergoing into the city to get orders for cattle."
"And he told me he was a rebel," laughed Bob, "thus arousing mysuspicions at once. We are not rebels and we do not recognize any."
"We call you rebels!" snarled the spy.
"But we do not," echoed Dick, "and if you were a better observer andconsequently a better spy, you would have known it."
The others now came up and regarded the man with decided curiosity.
"The fellow had a horse, didn't he, Boniface?" asked Dick.
"Yes, he had, and a very good one."
"Will you have it brought out? We will lose no time in going back to thecity."
"Yes, I will have it brought at once. Jenkins, get the drover's horseimmediately."
"You will let me finish my pipe and pot, won't you?" asked the spy. "Youtook me rather by surprise."
"If you are not long over them," answered Dick.
Bob meanwhile, had deftly searched the man for concealed weapons and hadtaken them all away, so that Hughson might not cheat them by killinghimself. He drank a pot of homebrew and puffed at his pipe under thetrees, and then the groom announced that his horse was ready and he wasquickly in the saddle. He said nothing as he rode away between