t that point where the most fighting might be
expected, and from where we stood it was possible to have a fairly good
view of the plain immediately surrounding the fort.

Within twenty minutes after the alarm was first given, we could see the
British and Tory soldiers forming in line, while to the southward, below
the bend in the river, the Indians were crossing hurriedly, which last
fact caused me to say to the sergeant:

"I am of the mind that the savages count on attacking the stockaded
portion of the fortification," and the old man replied:

"Ay, lad, an' one might have guessed that without stopping to see from
which direction they were comin'. Thayendanega may prate as much as he
pleases about the bravery of his warriors, but he cannot find a corporal's
guard among the whole crowd that would dare march up to a direct assault
upon earthworks."

"What portion of the force is on duty in the stockade?" Jacob asked, but
none of our company could answer him. It was reasonable to suppose Colonel
Gansevoort had stationed there those of his men who were most experienced
in savage warfare, and we whose duty it was to hold the walls in the
vicinity of the sally-port had no need to trouble our heads concerning
them.

The one thing which puzzled me was as to why St. Leger was making this
attack, since he had begun to approach the fort by parallels. I was eager
to have some expert opinion as to whether the British were apparently
abandoning the slow method of reducing the fortification, or if, having
learned perchance that we were running short of ammunition for the big
guns, they were making an attack in order to provoke us to waste powder
which would be more sadly needed at some later day. Therefore it was that
I asked Sergeant Corney what his belief was regarding the matter.

"It looks to me much as if Colonel Willett an' Lieutenant Stockwell had
been captured."

"How do you figure that out?"

"Because an assault is evidently about to be made. If they are not
prisoners, the enemy has learned that they left the fort."

I was still in darkness as to why he arrived at such conclusion, but found
the reason exceedingly plain when he said:

"If St. Leger knows that a man of Colonel Willett's rank was eager to take
the chances of leaving the fortification to summon assistance, he must
believe the garrison is in sore straits, an' therefore it is that I
believe the mistake was made in allowin' him to go out when there were