he tongue of land jutting out into Lake
Champlain, and washed by the waters of this river on its other
side, stood the fortress of Ticonderoga, their goal.

Rogers was their leader. He knew the forest well; yet even he found
it a somewhat difficult matter to pick his way through the dense
summer foliage. The columns following found the forest tracks
extraordinarily difficult to follow. They were many of them unused
to such rough walking, and fell into inevitable confusion.

Rogers, together with Lord Howe and some of his hardier soldiers
and the Rangers, pushed boldly on. Whilst they walked they talked
of what lay before them. Rogers told how Montcalm himself was
within the fort, and that his presence there inspired the soldiers
with great courage and confidence; because he was a fine soldier, a
very gallant gentleman, and had had considerable success in arms
ever since he arrived in Canada.

As the forest tracks grew more densely overgrown, Lord Howe paused
in his rapid walk beside Rogers.

"My men are growing puzzled by the forest," he said, "and indeed it
is small wonder, seeing that we ourselves scarce know where we are.
Go you on with the Rangers, Rogers, and I will return a short
distance and get my men into better order. I do not anticipate an
ambush; but there may be enemies lurking in the woods. We must not
be taken unawares. Push you on, and I will follow with my company
at a short distance."

"I will take a handful of men with me," answered Rogers, "and push
on to reconnoitre. Let the rest remain with you. They will
encourage and hearten up the regulars, who are new to this sort of
thing; and when I know more clearly our exact position, I will fall
back and report."

Fritz remained with Howe, whose men came marching up in a rather
confused and straggling fashion, but were only perplexed, not in
any wise disheartened, by the roughness of the road. When the
column had regained something like marching order, the word was
given to start, and Lord Howe with a bodyguard of Rangers marched
at the head.

They had proceeded like this for perhaps a mile or more, when there
was a quick stir in the thicket. Next moment the challenge rang
out:

"Qui vive?"

"Francais!" shouted back a Ranger, who had learned Rogers' trick of
puzzling his opponents by the use of French words.

But this time they were not deceived. A stern word of command was
given. A crack of rifles sounded out from the bushes; puffs of
smok