Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/25

Rh as a wrestler his fame had gone throughout the little army stationed in New Jersey. A contest between himself as a representative of a Jersey regiment and a young soldier from Pennsylvania had been arranged for the very day when he had been compelled to leave camp with his message for the army in the north, but his own necessary departure had prevented the meeting, for which he was almost as eager as his friendly and enthusiastic messmates had been for him.

And now as the June day drew to a close, Robert Dorlon found himself near the place where he was no longer to follow the shores of the Hudson, but was to obtain rest for the night at the humble abode of Dirck Rykman. In his former journey Robert had crossed to Peekskill and left a message for sturdy Israel Putnam, who was in command at the time of the patriot forces there, but the recent activities of the redcoats in that vicinity had caused Washington to direct his young "express" this time to proceed farther up the river before he even halted, for all chances were now to be avoided. The rumors and reports from the northern army had been of a character to render the leaders most anxious, and it was deemed wise to insist upon all haste