CHAPTER IX
IN WHICH THE RANGERS ENGAGE WITH THE FRENCH AND INDIANS
On the 10th of March we set forth on snowshoes and travelled through thethick forest. That night we encamped at a brook. The Rangers builtshelters of boughs in a short time. Big fires were made, and after wehad our suppers and a pull at the pipe, we rolled ourselves up in ourblankets and went to sleep.
The next morning we reached Lake George, and saw the blackened ruins ofFort William Henry, where the massacre had taken place some eight monthsbefore.
Of course I knew the story, but Martin had been there, and told me howthe fort was besieged by Montcalm; and after it was battered to pieces,the garrison surrendered. They had given up their arms and weremarching back to the English army, when the drunken Indians set uponthem and killed and scalped most of the force. Martin caught up a littleboy whose parents had been killed, and escaped through the dense woods.
[Sidenote: AN ALARM]
We marched down the lake in three files, threading our way among theislands and skirting the steep cliffs. The lake stretched out before us,covered with thick ice. On the further side were the woods andmountains.
We camped near the First Narrows that night. The next day we turned awayfrom the lake and went to a cape called Sebattis Point.
"What's the matter, Martin? Why do we halt?"
"Didn't you see a dog run across the lake, some distance down?"
"Yes, I saw something go across."
"Well, it was a dog, and if there was a dog, there were probably Indianswith him. What would a dog be doing out here alone?"
We camped in the woods, and after it was dark skated down the lake.
Our advanced guard sent back word that they thought they had seen a fireon an island. We hid our hand-sleighs and packs and went there, butcould find no signs of a fire.
Rogers said that very likely it was the light from some old rottenstumps, but Martin was not of this opinion.
"There was a fire there. First we see the dog, and then the fire. Thefire could be put out, and it would be difficult to find the burntsticks in the dark. If it were the light from old wood, some one of allthis party would have seen it. The French are no fools. They knew wewere coming, and some Indians are watching us. We'll have a hot timebefore we get back."
We now left the lake, lest we should be seen, and marched through thewoods back of the mountain which overlooked Fort Ticonderoga. At noon wehalted.
Rogers said: "We are about two miles from the advanced guard of theFrench. We will wait here a couple of hours, and then go on. When nightcomes, we will make an ambush in the paths, and capture some of theguards as they come out in the morning."
[Sidenote: AN AMBUSCADE]
We started on again, with a brook on our left and a steep mountain onour right.
We kept a sharp watch on the brook, for the enemy would probably travelon it, as the snow was four feet deep.
Our advanced guard came back and reported that the enemy were ahead.That there were ninety of them, mostly Indians. They were coming downthe brook. The bank of the brook was higher than the ground where wewere, and Rogers gave the order:--
"Come, boys! Stretch out in a line behind the bank. Lie down and keephidden. Wait till I give the signal by firing my gun, and then jump upand give it to them."
Rogers hid in a clump of bushes, from which he could look over the bank.We lay without stirring, till Rogers fired and shouted, "Now, boys."
We jumped up and fired at them. It was the first time I had seenIndians, and very hideous they looked, as I stood up and saw them on thebrook, dressed in moccasins, leggings, and breech clout, with a mantleor cloak of skins over their shoulders, a feather in the scalp-lock, andtheir faces and breasts painted with stripes of red and black.
When we fired, a great number of them fell, and the rest ran away. Wesupposed that they were defeated, and pursued them. But we got into ahornets' nest. For this was only the advanced guard, and as we ran afterthem, several hundred more French and Indians came up, fired at us, andkilled nearly fifty of our men. I could hear the bullets whistle by me,and men dropped at my side.
We rallied and retreated; and having reloaded, poured a volley into themthat drove them back again.
"What do you think about that fire on the island, Ben?" asked Martin.
They came on a third time, in front and on both sides of us. We kept upa continual fire and drove the flanking parties back, and they retreatedonce more.
[Sidenote: WARM WORK]
When that great body of French and Indians appeared and their fiercewar-whoops sounded through the woods, when the firing began and the menfell down close by me, I must confess I was nervous and frightened. ButI looked on either side, and there stood the grim, stern frontiersmenpicking off their men as cool as if they were at a turkey shoot. Thisbrought my confidence back at once, and as the fight became hot, I foundmyself filled with an angry rage. I wanted to kill, to kill as many as Icould, and pay off the old score.
We backed up against the steep mountain. The Indians now tried to go upit on our right, but a party was sent out and repulsed them. Anotherparty attempted to ascend on our left. They, too, were driven back.Edmund, Amos, and I were with the main body, fighting, loading, andshooting as fast as we could. No time for talk. Sometimes the Indianswere twenty yards from us, and at times we were all mixed up with them,fighting hand to hand.
When I had fired, I pulled out my hatchet, and as thesedevilish-looking savages in their red and black paint rushed at me, Icut and hacked with my hatchet in my right hand, and holding my firelockin my left, warded off the blows with it. A blow on my arm knocked thehatchet from my hand. Then I used my gun as a club. It was a long,heavy, old firelock, and anger and excitement added to my strength, sothat it was a terrible weapon. I smashed away with it till nothing wasleft but the bent barrel.
When we drove them back, I picked up a French gun and a hatchet. Therewere plenty of them, for dead and dying men lay in heaps on the ground.
We struggled with them an hour and a half, during which time we lostover one hundred men.
Rogers was in the thick of the fight most of the time. Yet he saw whatwas going on round us, and directed our movements. Toward dark he criedout: "It's no use, boys; we must get out of this place. Follow me."
We ran up the mountain to a spot where Lieutenant Phillips and some menwere fighting a flanking party of Indians, and there we had anotherlively scrimmage. We went along the side of the mountain. I had lost myrackets. One couldn't think of them and fight, as we had been fighting,too.
[Sidenote: AN ENCOUNTER]
Rogers shouted: "Scatter, boys! Every man for himself. Meet at the FirstNarrows."
I loaded my gun and floundered along in the deep snow, making allpossible haste.
Looking behind, I saw that an Indian on snowshoes was following me. Istarted up a side hill, where his rackets would not give him anadvantage.
He fired, but missed me. I turned and shot him, as he raised his hand tothrow his tomahawk. He fell and was quite dead by the time I reachedhim.
It's no pleasant sight to look on the face of a man you have justkilled, even though you have right on your side, and he be only aredskin.
One glance at that face and the staring eyes was enough. I felt weak andguilty as I knelt by him, and picked up his rackets, gun, andammunition. I took his fur mantle, too, for I had thrown away myblanket, and knew that I should be cold before the night was over.
I wandered through the woods till the moon rose, and gave me thedirection to take. Then I came to the lake and went out on it, and atlast got to the Narrows, where I found what was left of our party.Edmund and Amos were with them. Rogers had sent a messenger forassistance.
Over two-thirds of our party were killed or missing. And of those whoremained, there were but few who did not have some cut or bullet wound.
We were exhausted. The men had thrown away their blankets, and the nightwas bitter cold.
We could not have fi
res, as they would have been beacon lights to theenemy, showing them where we were.
We huddled together like sheep for warmth, and I gave my mantle to apoor fellow who was badly wounded.
[Sidenote: THEY RETURN TO FORT EDWARD]
When the day began to break, we marched up the lake, and were met byCaptain Stark with reenforcements, and sleds for our wounded, and thenproceeded to Fort Edward.
The next day, as Edmund, Amos, and I were talking the fight over, Rogerscame to us. He laughed, and said: "Well, boys! You haven't been herelong. But you've had lots of fun, haven't you?"
"Yes, sir. Plenty! We are satisfied. We can stand a long spell of dulltimes now."
The Rangers lost so heavily in this fight that but little was requiredof them for some time. A few scouting-parties were sent out, but theywere of little consequence.