CHAPTER XXXIII
The day was intensely hot, the wind nearly southwest, the sky deepblue toward the horizon, but waning to a hazy gold color in thezenith, when, at an early hour on the Saturday morning, the greatflotilla of General Abercrombie got under way. One large boat, modeledlike a whaleboat, and so designated in contemporary accounts, led theway, with the active and energetic second in command, accompanied by aportion of his own regiment. The rest followed, spreading out in theshape of an irregular wedge over the face of the lake, and the wholesteered at once directly toward the narrows. Fresh, and peaceful, andbeautiful was the scene upon that loveliest of lakes, with the wildmountains and sweeping forests round, and myriads of lovely islandsstudding the golden waters like gems. Lord H---- sat somewhatreclining on his cloak in the stern of the leading boat, with atelescope in his hand, which, however, he did not use. The scenepresented to his eye had sufficient in its general features to affordpleasant occupation to the thoughts, and he strove to turn them, asmuch as possible, toward objects unconnected with his own fate, orwith the fate of the expedition.
Diamond Island was soon passed, Long Island left to the eastward, andthe rich, narrow strip of low land extending far into the lake, andknown as Long Point, rounded by the boat in which he sat. He gazedback to see how near the others were following, and then lookedforward again. French Mountain, Deer Pasture Mountain, Harris' Bay,Dunham's Bay, were left behind, and the Dame Island, rising up in themidst of the waters like the cupola of some large submerged cathedral,was right in front. Many another islet was seen scattered round, whilethe peculiar magical effect of the hazy midsummer light made them lookhardly real. At length the high, precipitous cliffs known as ShelvingRock, on the one hand, and the Tongue Mountain on the other, were seenin front, announcing the approach to the Narrows, while the top of theBlack Mountain appeared dark and grim over the lower land in theforeground.
More caution now became necessary, for hitherto no fear had beenentertained that the movements of the flotilla would be discovered bythe enemy's scouts; but that part of the lake most frequently swept bythe French boats was now at hand, and it became necessary to keep asfar inshore as possible, and take advantage of every headland andisland as a means of concealment, in order to hide the approach andnumber of the armament till the last moment.
Still, the general orders having been given, Lord H---- lay quiet, andmeditated. On an active and energetic spirit the saddest thoughts aremost apt to obtrude in moments of forced tranquillity. He could notcast them off. He tried to think of everything that was happy--ofEdith, of his speedy union with her who had become the brightness ofhis life--of pleasant days beyond the sea, far away in their peacefulnative land. But still, still, through all the visions he conjured upof hope and happiness, and long, cheerful hours, came chiming, likethe tolling of a bell, the sad, prophetic words of the question,"Shall I ever see her more?" and he longed for the moment of landing,to shake off thought in active exertion.
At length it came. The wild, strange scenery of the Buck Mountain andthe Rattlesnake Dens was seen upon the left, and, stretching out infront, the low, fertile sweep of land known from that day forward asSabbath Day Point. There, in the evening, the troops landed forrefreshment, and the boats were drawn up to the southward, under coverof the banks and woods, with but a few miles' farther voyage on thefollowing day ere they reached the point of attack. Happy are thethoughtless; for though, perhaps, they enjoy not so highly, and theirenjoyment is of a lower kind, yet they can enjoy each sunshiny hourthat God grants them in their course through life. The brief repose,the pleasant meal, the fair and the strange things around, affordedmatter for much happiness to many a light heart there, during the haltof the army; but it was not so with Lord H----. He knew that the nextday was to be one of great fatigue, difficulty, and exertion; and inorder that his corporal powers might be in full activity, he lay downand tried to sleep. But sleep would not come, and he had not closed aneye when, toward midnight, the order was given to form upon the beachand re-embark.
Every one, as well as the young nobleman, felt that to be a solemnmoment. The sky was clear and bright, the stars were shining out largeand lustrous; not a breeze moved in the sky; the clear waters of thelake were smooth as a sheet of glass; the only sound that stirred theair was the tramp of the troops toward the boats, the whirring insectsin the trees, and the wailing voice of the whip-poor-will. All wasconducted as silently as possible; the oars of the boats were muffled,and once more Lord H---- led the way with a few bodies of rangers inseveral bateaux. The regular troops followed in the center of theline, and the volunteers of the provinces formed wings on either side.
Stilly and silently the flight of boats skimmed over the waters, till,after a few hours of solemn darkness, day dawned upon them, revealingto the scouts of Montcalm upon the rocky eminences near the shore thefull blaze of the English uniforms in the innumerable boats sweepingdown, as if to certain conquest. Somewhat less than one hour more thefirst boat neared what is called Prisoners' Island, bore away a littleto the westward, where the ground was open, touched the shore, and theyoung nobleman instantly sprang to land. Regiment after regimentfollowed. The debarkation was perfectly orderly and uninterrupted, andit was evident that the French garrison of Ticonderoga, if notactually taken by surprise, were attacked much sooner than they hadexpected.
The number of the Indians with the army was actually small, but it wasknown that large parties of Mohawks, Oneidas, and even Onondagas, werehovering on the flanks, sweeping, in fact, in a crescent, round thatwhich was then considered the key of Lake Champlain. It was nearlynoon before the disembarkation was completed and the army formed intothree columns, ready for advance. The first column then plunged intothe woods, headed by Lord H---- in person, and pushed on for some wayunopposed, except by the difficulties of the road, which at every stepbecame greater and greater, from the number of thick juniper bushesand tangled brushwood which encumbered the ground under the largetrees. The men's strength was spent in contending with these naturalobstructions, and to give them time to breathe, Lord H---- halted hiscorps for a moment, at the first open space in the woods which theyreached. He himself leaned upon the short ranger's musket which hecarried in his hand; his fine, expressive countenance glowing withexercise and eagerness, and beaming encouragement upon the gallant menwho followed him on what they fully believed to be the road tovictory.
At that moment something was heard plunging through the thickbrushwood on the left, and an Indian in his full war costume, paintedand armed, burst out into the open space, holding up a piece of paperin his hand. He darted instantly toward the commander of the column,lifting the paper high, and Lord H----, who was just upon the point ofgiving the order to advance again, paused, and stretched forth hishand. What the man gave him was not a letter, but apparently merely aleaf torn out of a pocketbook; and the moment it was delivered, theIndian, whose eyes had been gleaming with eagerness, dropped his armsby his side, and stood as still as a statue. Lord H---- gazed upon thepaper, and beheld, written in pencil, apparently in great haste, thefollowing words:
"There is a masked redoubt in front, as far as I can discover, alittle to the east of the brook. It is concealed by low bushes, andthe gaps in the underwood are filled up with boughs of pine. Edith iswithin, a prisoner. Beware! We are marching round rapidly to take itin reverse--I mean the Oneidas. WALTER PREVOST."
Several of the superior officers had gathered round, and amongst therest a man deservedly famous in those and after times, then simplyknown as Major Putnam.
"We have been seen by friends, if not by enemies, Putnam," said LordH----, handing him the paper. "What do you advise to be done? You aremore skilled in wood warfare than I am?"
"Send back the Indian," answered Major Putnam. "Let him tell hisbrethren to advance as speedily as possible and help to clear thewoods. Then give me a hundred rangers and a handful of Indians, and Iwill push on myself and make a way for you."
"Good!" said Lord H----. "Call up your men,
Putnam, while I send awaythe Indian."
Beckoning up an interpreter, the young nobleman gave their savageallies directions, telling them particularly to report the exact spotwhich the column had reached; and by the time this was done and theman gone, Major Putnam had placed himself at the head of his littleparty, ready to dash on.
"Stay, Putnam!" said Lord H----. "You command, but I go with you!"
Putnam paused and dropped the point of his sword, looking almostaghast. "My lord," he said, "I beg you would forbear. If I am killed,the loss of my life will be of little consequence to anyone, but thepreservation of your life is of importance to this army!"
Lord H---- laid his hand upon his arm, saying: "Putnam, your life isas dear to you as mine is to me. I am determined to go. Lead on!"
The next moment they dashed on at quick time along a trail whichopened before them. The few Indians who accompanied the partyscattered, as usual, to the right and left, and for some little waythey made good progress through the tangled wood. At length, however,all, even to the natives, became puzzled by the number of trailscrossing each other, and the thick and intricate nature of the wood;but still they forced their way forward, judging the direction theyought to take by the way the shadows of the trees were thrown by thesunshine. Thus for four or five hundred yards they pushed on, withoutseeing an enemy, when Putnam, suddenly pointing with his sword,exclaimed: "There goes a Frenchman's cap--more of them! more of them!Now, gallant rangers, down with your pieces and make your barrelsring!"
In an instant every gun was leveled; but at the same moment a sharpflash ran along the trees and bushes beyond, the loud report offirearms rattled through the forest, and one of the young officers ofthe rangers dropped at once. Several privates fell before they coulddraw the trigger, while the rest were sending a fatal volley into thewood.
"On! on!" cried Putnam. "Clear the copse of them! My lord, what is thematter?"
Lord H---- stood for a moment longer without answering, then waveredfor an instant on his feet, and fell back into the arms of a sergeantof the rangers.
"I knew it!" cried Putnam. "Forward, my men! Forward! and avenge thisnoble fellow!"