Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/239

Rh camp they were seeking, and the letters they had brought were delivered into the hands of those for whom they were designed. It was a relief to Robert to learn that the British had abandoned the attempt to draw the Americans into battle near Brunswick and had returned to New York. Everything was uncertain as to their future movements, however. Rumors were current of Howe's plan to attack Boston, but the report would quickly be denied and another rumor would gain credence that he was about to move up the Hudson to meet the oncoming army of John Burgoyne.

Robert was somewhat chagrined to learn on the morning after his arrival that Joseph had been sent back to Fort Montgomery, but no word was given him as to his own duty. The horses they had succeeded in bringing had been received, but a fear was in the heart of the young soldier that his own failure to deliver to General Clinton the letter with which he had been intrusted had caused a loss of confidence in himself, and as the slow days passed on and still not a word was received, his fears, and his consequent chagrin, increased.

The reports, too, that came with the passing days caused the uncertainty and the