goodbye. It was
not a time for making new ties; yet the little maiden knew very
well by this time that her life and his were bound together by a
strong and tender bond, and that into her own something had entered
which could never be taken away.

They met in the heart of the forest, a few miles from Fort William
Henry--Rogers and his large company, and Stark with his smaller
contingent. But Stark was now the leader of a band of five-and-twenty
bold spirits; for so inspiring had been his stories of the Ranger's
life that volunteers had come crowding in, and he had had some ado
to get rid of those who were manifestly unfit for the life. Even
Ebenezer Jenkyns, in his wild desire to win the approval of Susanna,
had begged to be permitted to join the Ranger band, and Stark had
had some difficulty in ridding himself of the youthful Quaker,
suddenly possessed of martial ambitions and ardour.

Right glad were the garrison at the fort to see the Rangers come
marching in. They had been quite quiet, save for a few minor
nocturnal raids from Indians, which had not done much harm. Their
chief foe was smallpox, which kept breaking out amongst the men, as
well as other forms of sickness. They did not understand
sanitation, and the fort was dirty and unhealthy. Rogers would not
have his men lodged within it; but the Rangers built themselves
huts just outside, and when not otherwise occupied, spent their
time in the construction of boats and sloops for use on the lake,
in which work Major Eyre had kept his men employed during the
previous months.

But it was not for peaceful toil like this that the Rangers had
gathered together; in a little while, accordingly, a scouting party
was formed, with Crown Point as its goal.

Snowshoes and skates were looked to, and the hardy Rangers started
off beneath the grey, leaden winter sky, gliding through the grim,
ghost-like forest, silent as death, past ice-bound waterfalls, and
forests of fir and larch bent and bowed by the load of snow, ever
onwards and northwards, always on the alert, ready for instant
action, fearless and undismayed in a white wilderness and in those
trackless solitudes which would strike dismay into many a bold
heart.

They skirted round Ticonderoga, not showing themselves to their
foe, and encamped upon the edge of Lake Champlain, lighting fires,
and making themselves as comfortable as circumstances permitted.
They had travelled hard for many days, and were glad of a l