Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/181

Rh ease. The uncertainty as to the fate of Hannah Nott and her mother, the ruined home the disappearance of the men, and the presence of the wounded stranger were all perplexing. Had he been free to follow his own inclinations he would instantly have begun a search for some one who might have aided him in obtaining the information he desired; but his orders were explicit, and he knew also how important it was that he should make the best possible time in returning with the two letters which General Clinton had intrusted to his keeping.

The third letter, the one which he had taken from the pocket of the helpless man, increased his confusion; for if the attempt to release the prisoners at Esopus should be made soon, then certainly the information which he had secured should speedily be placed in the possession of those to whom the defense of the place had been intrusted. It was true there was no date given in the letter, but the very fact that the man had such a letter in his possession at such a time certainly implied that the execution of the plan was designed to be in the immediate future.

Thoughtfully he drew from his pocket a rude sketch of the roads which General Clinton