The lesson given at Trenton was wholly lost upon the English
commander-in-chief. Instead of at once ordering General Leslie to
advance from Princeton and to hold the enemy in check by reoccupying and
fortifying Trenton, he allowed Colonel Donop to abandon Bordentown and
to fall back to Princeton--thus laying it open to Washington to cross
the Delaware again and carry the war into New Jersey. Washington, after
waiting eight days, seeing the indecision and ineptitude of the British
general, again crossed with 4000 men and occupied Trenton.
Peter Lambton and his two companions were not among the prisoners
taken at Trenton. On entering the town Harold was about to join the
Hessians assembling under Colonel Rhalle, but Peter gave a violent tug
to his coat.
"Come along, young un!" he said. "The darned fools have let themselves
be caught in a trap and they'll find there's no way out of it. In ten
minutes the Americans will be all round the place, and as I don't wish
to spend a year or two in a Yankee prison at present, I'm going to make
tracks at once. Fighting aren't no good now. Men who'll let 'emselves
be caught in a trap like this'll never be able to cut their way out of
it. Come on!"
Much against his will Harold yielded to Peter's wishes, and the three
kept straight on through the town by the river side and issued into the
country beyond before the Americans had surrounded it. A minute or two
after leaving the town the light horse galloped past.
"There are some more out of the hole, and I reckon that's about all.
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