Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/224

208 "I don't see"—

"Well, it is n't necessary that you should. It 'll be lighter pretty quick, anyway." Then turning to his companion, who had seldom spoken since the meeting, Joseph said a few words to him, but they were spoken in so low a tone that Robert was not able to hear what was said. The man, however, at once mounted his horse and started swiftly back over the road by which Robert had come, and in a brief time could no longer be seen.

Turning to Robert, Joseph then said, "Come on. We 'll not go so fast that I can't talk to you on the way. Yes, I'm going to Morristown. General Clinton had me start not long after you left. Probably he had some word that came after you went, but I don't know about that. Some one else may be on his way behind us, and we don't want to let him catch up with us the way I did with you."

"But I thought you went with your father and the boys to look after Hannah and your mother."

"I did." "How did you happen to be back in the fort, then?"

"It did n't take long to look after my mo-