130
XVII. Somewhat of a Mystery 142
XVIII. Rodney Rides With Dispatches 153
XIX. Rodney to the Rescue 165
XX. Rallying Virginia's Minute Men 176
XXI. Virginians Learning to Shoot British Troops 184
XXII. Rodney's Sacrifice and His Mother's 195
XXIII. In the Thick of It 205
XXIV. The Rangers Sent Against Burgoyne 218
XXV. Put to the Test 228
XXVI. Tricked, and by His Friend 240
XXVII. A Blended Rose 249
XXVIII. New Ventures With Old Acquaintances 256
XXIX. What the Package Contained 271
XXX. Rodney Rides With the Dragoons 280
XXXI. Home Again 288
XXXII. A Reward Greater Than Promotion 294

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
"That morning, a canoe containing two savages came up
past him." _Frontispiece_
"He rolled the dazed man on to his face and bound his
arms behind his back." 88
"He seized the money and threw it in the Chevalier's
face." 140
"'Say, you fellers as hev breeches ought ter bring us
in a bite ter eat.'" 244

RODNEY, THE RANGER

CHAPTER I

"YOU--YOU SIMPLETON!"

A sturdy boy in homespun, a lad of nearly fourteen years, whose eyes
were clear and gray and whose face was resolute and honest, led his
little sister by the hand, for she was small and the road was rough.

"We'll rest, 'Omi, when we come to the big tree. Are you cold?" he
asked, for there was the chill of March in the wind, though the sun
lay very warm in the sheltered places.

"No. Who?" she asked, pointing a tiny hand at two riders turning the
corner, a youth of about seventeen and a young girl. Their horses were
spirited and the black groom following urged his horse.

The youth was not attractive, though his