But they will keep a sharp lookout day and night to do us
injury. We have four walls to guard and only one hundred and twenty men
to do it. The garrison will be exhausted in no time."

"Yes, we have hard work before us," agreed the commander, "but we can do
it. Our case is not so bad as you represent. The ship's guns protect two
walls, so that virtually only two sides of the fort are exposed to the
enemy. To me the most alarming feature of the siege is short rations."

"The supplies are low and we cannot hope for more within three weeks.
We'll starve to death, penned up here with no hunting and no provisions
from the Canadian farmers," complained some, ready in their alarm to
magnify every danger.

"By taking care to prevent waste we can make the supplies last," the
commander interrupted. "I shall buy up at once everything in the fort
that can serve as food, put it into a common storehouse, and give to
each person a daily allowance. If even with this care the food runs
short, Canadians may be found who love gold better than Indians." In
this way the courageous leader argued, until, at last, he overcame the
fears of his aids and roused in them a spirit of resistance.

Pontiac had no lack of warriors, nevertheless he, as well as the British
leader, had his fears and difficulties.

His own followers were not easily managed. He had brought them together
from near and far with promise of easy victory over the English. After a
short struggle many of the tribes lost heart and were ready to go back
to their villages.

The Canadians were neutral and were supposed to sympathize with the
Indians; but Pontiac knew that many of them favored the English, and
were ready at the slightest offense to take the side of his enemies.

His campaign against the English had begun with failure. Treachery had
failed. He had put the English on their guard and must now use open
force.

To hold a horde of savages together, to keep the fickle Canadians
friendly, to take without cannon all the fortifications on the frontier,
were the tasks the Indian general had set himself.

[Illustration: PONTIAC'S ELOQUENCE]

Pontiac's personal influence over the Indians was unparalleled. He had
lost none of his power over them by the defeat of his plan to take
Detroit. No Indian dared reproach him with failure. All quailed before
his terrible rage and disappointment. They brought him the scalps of the
English they had slain. They sought to please him wi