The Indian allies of the French had at the first been very active, gliding6 hither and thither7 as silently as snakes, or whooping8 fiercely as they darted9 from tree to tree in their endeavors to close in on the stubborn provincials10. But when the deadly aim of the latter had cost them a score of their number they lost heart, and in spite of the urging of the French sulked at a safe distance.
After Major Rogers was wounded Seth had kept at his side, for he felt a kind of presentiment11 of further harm to his leader, which a little before sunset was fulfilled by a stray bullet wounding the Major in his hand and wrist so badly that he could no longer use his gun.
"You had better lie down, sir, where they cannot see you," Seth begged of him, "and I will fire your gun as well as my own."
It was hard for the Major to follow this sound advice, but his wounds compelled him, and for the rest of the day Seth did double duty not only as far as firing went, but in carrying his commander's orders to the other officers who were farther away.
As darkness drew near, the French redoubled their endeavors to rush the position held by the Rangers; and more than once it seemed as if they might succeed, but by the most heroic bravery and the wonderfully effective use of their guns the Rangers kept them off until at last the shadows of night enveloped12 the battlefield and compelled a cessation of the struggle.
Gathering13 his officers about him the wounded leader announced his purpose.
"We're in a pretty bad fix, I reckon," he said in a tone whose gravity showed how critical he considered the situation. "The rascals14 have trapped us like rats, but we're not the men to die like rats, even if we've lost a good part of our number and our ammunition15 is nearly used up. Ticonderoga is so close that there'll be sure to be reinforcements brought against us in the morning and we must get out of this to-night by hook or by crook16. After an hour's rest we'll make a start, and if we've to fight every foot of the way we'll do it, for we're not going to surrender, are we, Rangers?"
"No, no, we'll die first," was the unanimous response heartily17 given and then the officers returned to their men to give them directions.
About seven o'clock the Rangers began their difficult, dangerous retreat. The rain had ceased to fall, but the snow was water-soaked and the trees dripped from every branch. Even if the men had been in good condition they could not have moved rapidly; but wearied as they were, and some of them having to be carried on extemporized18 litters, rudely made of boughs19, their progress necessarily could be little better than a crawl, and yet at any moment out of the surrounding darkness a horde20 of merciless savages21 might burst upon them ravening22 for their blood.
Despite his wounds Major Rogers took the lead; and as he strode forward with head erect23 and firm, set figure Seth followed in a spirit of unstinted admiration24, ready to lay down his own life in defence of his heroic leader.
Halting frequently for the rest that was imperative25 they tramped on through the dreary26 winter night, their hope of escape strengthening as they got farther and farther away without being attacked.
At one of their halts Seth asked the Major:
"If they leave us alone to-night, sir, do you think they're likely to follow us to-morrow? We'll be a good way from Ticonderoga by daybreak and maybe they'll not care to go very far in case we should get reinforced."
"If we can keep clear of the villains27 to-night we'll have no more trouble with them this time," responded the Major with a grim smile. "They'll not care to follow us any farther than they can help, I'm sure of that."
And as it turned out he was right in his surmise28. Left unmolested all night, the Rangers neither saw nor heard anything of the enemy on the following day, and kept steadily29 on their way back to Fort William Henry, which they ultimately reached at cost of great exertion30, but happily without having to leave behind any of their wounded.
Out of the seventy-five which had gone forth31 one week before, less than fifty returned uninjured, and six more wounded, the remainder having been either killed or taken prisoners.
It was the first severe loss the Rangers had sustained since their organization, and they felt it deeply, but it did not chill the enthusiasm of the survivors32. On the contrary, it only inspired them to greater zeal33, and so soon as their leader had recovered from his wounds, they would be ready for fresh service against the enemy, to whom they now owed a greater grudge34 than ever.
It chanced, however, that Major Rogers' wounds resulted in a serious illness, upon the head of which followed an attack of smallpox35, and this led to a change in Seth's circumstances, as with a number of the Rangers he was assigned to strengthen the garrison36 at Fort William Henry. He did not like this, for the monotony of garrison life was irksome to one of his restless nature; but he had no option in the matter, and accepted the situation as cheerfully as possible.
If he had known what was in the mind of Vandreuil, the Governor of Canada, he would have been more content at the change, as the French commander-in-chief, having been apprised37 of the preparations the English were making all too deliberately38 for the assault and destruction of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, resolved to anticipate their action by striking an unexpected blow, and accordingly set about getting ready at Montreal a strong force for the attack of Fort William Henry.
The work was well done, no pains or expense being spared in the equipment of the expedition, which comprised regular soldiers, Canadians, and Indians. They were provided with overcoats for the day and blankets and bearskins for the night, with ample supplies of spare moccasins and mittens39, with kettles, axes, flints and steels, and many miscellaneous articles, together with twelve days' provision, the whole being packed on light Indian sledges40, which were easily dragged along. No less than a million francs, equal in value to as many dollars of the present time, were spent upon their force, which reached Lake Champlain before the end of February.
At Ticonderoga they rested for a week, and made ready more than three hundred short scaling ladders, so constructed that two or more could be joined into one long one. Then marching for three days on the ice of Lake George they neared Fort William Henry on the evening of the 18th of March, and prepared for a general assault at break of day. They were sixteen hundred in all, and being pretty well informed of the strength of the English garrison, and knowing that they had no suspicion of their proximity41, they felt perfectly42 confident of carrying all before them.
Now at this time the garrison of Fort William Henry, including the Rangers, consisted of only three hundred and fifty-six effective men. Moreover, the fort was not very strongly built; and even if nearly a score of cannons44 of different calibre, besides several swivels and mortars45, were mounted upon the log ramparts, it was at best ill prepared to withstand a well-organized attack, so that the French had good ground for being quite sanguine46 of the result of their enterprise.
On the night of the 18th Seth had charge of the sentries47, and although he might have taken it easy on one of the bastions, he preferred to pace up and down the ramparts, exchanging an occasional word with the men on guard.
An hour after midnight, as he was standing48 beside one of the bastions which faced the lake, and speculating as to how long he might have to stay at the fort, and whether Major Rogers would soon recover from his sickness, the sound of distant chopping came to his ears, and presently he perceived the faint glare of far-off fires.
"Hullo!" he exclaimed. "That can mean only one thing. The French have come down the lake to attack our fort, and have made those fires to keep themselves warm. They must think we all go to bed here at night, and leave the fort to take care of itself, but they're greatly mistaken. I must rouse the whole garrison at once."
This he proceeded to do as quietly as possible; and on the commander being informed, he forthwith gave orders for all the cannon43 that commanded the lake to be double-shotted, and the gunners to stand in readiness to fire them at short notice.
Then Seth asked permission to try a little scouting50 on his own account.
"I'd like to find out how many there are of them if I can manage it. May I see if I can get near enough to make a good guess? If they catch me you'll only be one man short."
The commander smiled admiringly at his ardor51 and indifference52 to danger.
"It certainly would be a good thing to know their strength," he said; "and if you're willing to run the risk, I wish you God-speed."
"All right, sir, then I'll go," responded Seth; and putting off everything that would encumber53 him, he vanished into the darkness on his perilous54 mission.
It was an intensely still, starless night; and if Seth had not known every foot of the ground by heart he might have come many a cropper as he hurried in the direction of the fires, pausing at intervals55 to listen for any sound betokening56 the enemy's approach, and then going resolutely57 on again until he had got within a few hundred yards of the encampment.
Here he came to a full stop in order carefully to consider the situation.
"If I go any farther in this direction I may be caught by some of their outposts; yet I'm not near enough to find out what I've come for," he soliloquized. "I think perhaps I'd better try around to the right."
Accordingly he made a detour58 which brought him to the side of the French position, and there the cover of the trees made it possible for him to draw so close to the camp fires that he could plainly see the figures of the men about there and even overheard their talk.
"Bless my heart, but they're as thick as flies," he exclaimed under his breath, with a feeling of consternation59 at his heart. "They outnumber us completely. I'm afraid they'll take the fort."
As he watched them moving to and fro in the light of the fires he became aware that they were getting ready for a concerted movement, and presently they formed up in regular array upon the ice which happened at the time to be clear of snow.
"They're going to march on the fort right away," said Seth to himself. "I must get back and give warning."
The French had taken the precaution to send out many scouts60 in advance, and these were now spread over the space intervening between their camp and Fort William Henry, and Seth therefore had to run the gauntlet of them ere he could regain61 the fort. Consequently every step was full of danger; and he moved with the utmost caution yet as swiftly as possible, for the moments were precious in the extreme.
Once and again he passed so close to one of the scouts that he could almost have touched him; but his intimate knowledge of the ground stood him in good stead, especially since the others were warily62 feeling their way, and he escaped discovery as it were by the skin of his teeth.
He had left the encampment far behind, and was about congratulating himself upon having successfully passed all danger when he was challenged by a scout49, who suddenly rose right in his path.
His only weapon was the hunting-knife which hung in his belt; and he did not attempt to use that, but replied to the challenge by hurling63 himself at the scout head down, butting64 the astonished Canadian full in the stomach, and tumbling him upon his back while his gun flew out of his hands, and fell beyond his reach.
So completely was the wind knocked out of him that he could not even swear at his assailant, who had disposed of him in such unlooked-for fashion; and Seth, not waiting to do him any more harm, dashed on to the fort, where the commander was anxiously awaiting his return.
"They're more than a thousand strong," he panted, "and they're coming up on the ice right away. They'll be here soon."
"Well, we're ready for them," replied the commander resolutely; "and though they are four times as strong as we are, they'll find they have no easy task to get the best of us."
Half an hour after Seth's return the sound of many men marching rapidly over the smooth ice reached the ears of those at the fort, and the commander gave orders for the gunners to be ready to fire the cannon the instant he gave the word.
He rightly judged that the best way of showing the enemy that their hope of surprising the fort was not to be realized was by receiving them with the heaviest broadside he could manage to bestow65 upon them, and so he waited for them to approach near enough to render his method of greeting most effective.
The tense expectancy66 of the little garrison may be imagined, as listening in breathless silence they heard the steady approach of their assailants; and their commander seemed to wait so long before giving the order to the gunners that they grew impatient and restless.
But at last clear and firm the command:
"Make ready. Fire!"
rang out upon the stillness of the night, and was instantly followed by a sudden burst of flame and a tremendous explosion that sent the startled echoes flying far over the bosom67 of the frozen lake, to reverberate68 from the snow-clad hills on the opposite shore.
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1
rangers
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| 护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员 | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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3
repelling
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| v.击退( repel的现在分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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4
antagonists
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| 对立[对抗] 者，对手，敌手( antagonist的名词复数 )； 对抗肌； 对抗药 | |
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5
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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6
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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7
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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8
whooping
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| 发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的 | |
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9
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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10
provincials
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| n.首都以外的人，地区居民( provincial的名词复数 ) | |
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11
presentiment
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| n.预感，预觉 | |
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12
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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14
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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15
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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16
crook
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| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
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17
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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18
extemporized
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| v.即兴创作，即席演奏( extemporize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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20
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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21
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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22
ravening
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| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
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23
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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24
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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25
imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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26
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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27
villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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28
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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29
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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30
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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31
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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32
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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33
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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34
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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35
smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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36
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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37
apprised
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| v.告知，通知( apprise的过去式和过去分词 )；评价 | |
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38
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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39
mittens
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| 不分指手套 | |
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40
sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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41
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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42
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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43
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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44
cannons
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| n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 ) | |
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45
mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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46
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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47
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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48
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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49
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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50
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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51
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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52
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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53
encumber
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| v.阻碍行动，妨碍，堆满 | |
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54
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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55
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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56
betokening
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 ) | |
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57
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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58
detour
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| n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道 | |
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59
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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60
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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61
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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62
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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63
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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64
butting
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| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
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65
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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66
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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67
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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68
reverberate
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| v.使回响，使反响 | |
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