Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/381

Rh "How many reinforcements did he get?" inquired the other man.

"Three thousand."

"He did n't wait long."

"Not after they came. He started up the river and landed near Peekskill, as I was teling you. It did n't take him long to outwit old Put,—as the rebels call him, I understand,—and then he kept on to the forts. The rebels put up a pretty good fight, but they could n't hold out, though they did their best. Sir Henry sent up a messenger before the attack, ordering the Clintons to surrender"—

"It was strange that Clinton should be the name of the commander on each side, was n't it?"

"Yes, and this George Clinton and his brother are shrewd fellows, too. They kept up the fight till night; but, you see, Sir Henry had the men; then, too, the boats in the river kept up a heavy fire, and at last the rebels were driven out and ran, at least those who were still alive."

"How many did they lose?"

"About three hundred."

"How many did Sir Henry lose?"

"About a hundred and fifty."