FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>   >|  
though I didn't know it was printed on my face. But it's all the easier for you to read it, because you're probably thinking the same that I do." "I do, Dagaeoga. Since St. Luc is not able to effect a surprise, he has a great task before him, though he will persist in it, because he wants to destroy our force and our boats also." But the morning passed without any demonstration from the forest. Many of the boat builders began to believe it was a false alarm, and murmured at the continuous and hard labor on the breastworks, but Colden, knowing that Willet and his friends were to be trusted implicitly, held them to their tasks. The hunter also looked into the question of food supply and found it ample. They had brought much food with them from Albany and the forest had furnished much more. There was no occasion for alarm on that point, since the siege could not be a long one. Noon came and no sign of the enemy. Willet began to think the attack would be postponed until night, as St. Luc doubtless had learned already that he could not carry the place by surprise. But he relied most upon the word of Black Rifle who had not yet returned from the forest. The dark scout came back about the middle of the afternoon, and he told Colden and Willet that he had seen nothing of Daganoweda and his Mohawks, though there were indications in the forest that they had defeated the Hurons the night before. But St. Luc Was at hand, not much more than a mile away, where he had pitched a camp. More French and Canadians had arrived and he now led a force of at least five hundred men, the great majority of whom were warriors. He thought an attack would be made after dark, but in what form it was impossible to say. "Which means," said Colden, "that I must have sentinels who will never relax their vigilance." "Particularly as the night is going to be dark," said Willet. "There's a haze over the lake now, and the sun will set in a mist." The twilight was heavy as he had predicted, and it was soon black on the mountains and the lake. But within the camp fires were burning, throwing a cheerful light, and many guards were posted. Crude but effective fortifications stretched all along the forest side of the camp, and Willet, Black Rifle and Tayoga were among the stumps in front of them. No enemy would be able to hide there even in the night. Wagons in which they had brought their supplies were drawn up in a circle, and would form an inner li
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118  
119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Willet

 

forest

 

Colden

 
attack
 
brought
 

surprise

 
Hurons
 

thought

 

impossible

 

indications


French
 

Canadians

 

arrived

 

defeated

 

majority

 
pitched
 

circle

 

hundred

 

warriors

 
throwing

cheerful

 
burning
 

mountains

 

guards

 

stretched

 

Tayoga

 

fortifications

 
posted
 

effective

 

stumps


sentinels

 

vigilance

 

Particularly

 

supplies

 

twilight

 

predicted

 

Wagons

 

builders

 

demonstration

 

morning


passed

 

murmured

 

friends

 

trusted

 

implicitly

 

knowing

 
breastworks
 

continuous

 

destroy

 

easier