Burlington, forty miles away, was headquarters. Plattsburg, twenty miles
away, was marked for spoil.

One more item they must add: Was the raid to baby land or water? If the
latter, then they must know what preparations were being made at the
British naval station, Isle au Noix. They travelled all night through
the dark woods, to get there, though it was but seven miles away, and in
the first full light they saw the gallant array of two warships, three
gunboats, and about fifty long boats, all ready, undoubtedly waiting
only for a change in the wind, which at this season blew on Champlain
almost steadily form the south.

A three-hour, ten-mile tramp through ways now familiar brought Rolf and
his partner to the north of the Big Chazy where the canoe was hidden,
and without loss of time they pushed off for Burlington, thirty miles
away. The wind was head on, and when four hours later they stopped for
noon, they had made not more than a dozen miles.

All that afternoon they had to fight a heavy sea; this meant they must
keep near shore in case of an upset, and so lengthened the course; but
it also meant that the enemy would not move so long as this wind kept
up.

It was six at night before the scouts ran into Burlington Harbour and
made for Hampton's headquarters.

His aide received them and, after learning that they had news, went in
to the general. From the inner room now they heard in unnecessarily loud
tones the great man's orders to, "Bring them in, sah."

The bottles on the table, his purple visage, and thick tongued speech
told how well-founded were the current whispers.

"Raid on Plattsburg? Ha! I hope so. I only hope so. Gentlemen," and
he turned to his staff, "all I ask is a chance to get at them--Ha, Ha!
Here, help yourself, Macomb," and the general pushed the decanter to a
grave young officer who was standing by.

"No, thank you, sir," was the only reply.

The general waved his hand, the scouts went out, puzzled and ashamed.
Was this the brains of the army? No wonder our men are slaughtered.

Now Macomb ventured to suggest: "Have you any orders, sir? These scouts
are considered quite reliable. I understand from them that the British
await only a change of wind. They have between one thousand and two
thousand men."

"Plenty of time in the morning, sah. Plattsburg will be the bait of my
trap, not one of them shall return alive," and the general dismissed his
staff that he might fortify himself aga