"But how?" asked Lawton, a little impatiently, and quickening his step to get out of the hearing of the rest of the party. "Why, near the royal lines, even under the very guns of the heights, might be good picking if we had a force to guard us from De Lancey's [Footnote: The partisan corps called Cowboys in the parlance of the country, was commanded by Colonel De Lancey. This gentleman, for such he was by birth and education, rendered himself very odious to the Americans by his fancied cruelty, though there is no evidence of his being guilty of any acts unusual in this species of warfare. Colonel De Lancey belonged to a family of the highest consequence in the American colonies, his uncle having died in the administration of the government of that of New York. He should not be confounded with other gentlemen of his name and family, many of whom served in the royal army. His cousin, Colonel Oliver De Lancey, was, at the time of our tale, adjutant general of the British forces in America, having succeeded to the unfortunate Andre. The Cowboys were sometimes called Refugees, in consequence of their having taken refuge under the protection of the crown.] men, and to cover our retreat from being cut off by the way of King's Bridge." "I thought the Refugees took all that game to themselves."
- De hogyan? - kérdezte Lawton egy kissé türelmetlenül, és meggyorsította a lépteit, hogy távolabb kerüljenek a többiektől, s azok ne hallják a beszélgetést. - Tudniillik a királyi vonalak közelében, épp a magaslati ágyúk alatt, nagyon jó zsákmányra tehetnénk szert, ha egy csapat megvédene bennünket De Lancey embereitől, és fedezné a visszavonulásunkat, nehogy King's Bridge felé el legyen vágva az út. - Azt hittem, ez a vadászterület a cowboyok kizárólagos tulajdona.