at sea in his time and knew something of what he was
about. His men were farmers who had taken up arms for their country, but
he sent for a few shipbuilders from the coast and went to work with all
his might.

When October came he had fifteen vessels afloat. There were two
schooners and one sloop, the others being called galleys and
gondolas--no better than large rowboats, with three to six guns each.

Arnold had about as many guns as Carleton, but they were smaller, and he
had not nearly so many men to handle them. And his men were farmers
instead of sailors, and knew no more about a cannon than about a king's
crown. But the British ships were manned by picked seamen from the
warships in the St. Lawrence River, and had trained naval officers.

I fear if any of us had been in Arnold's place we would have wanted to
go home. It looked like folly for him and his men to fight the British
fleet with its skilled officers and sailors and its heavy guns. It was
like meeting a raft of logs with one of chips.

But Arnold was not a man who stopped to count the cost when fighting was
to be had. As soon as he was ready he set sail boldly up the lake, and
on the morning of October 11, 1776, he drew up his little fleet across a
narrow channel between Valcour Island and the west shore of the lake.
He knew the British would soon be down.

It was a fine, clear, cool morning, with a strong wind from the north,
just the kind of day Carleton had been waiting for. So, soon after
sunrise, his fleet came sweeping on past Valcour Island. But all the
sailors saw was a thicket of green trees, and they had got well south of
the island before they looked back and saw the American fleet.

Here was an ugly situation. It would never do to leave the Americans in
their rear. Down went the helms, round swept the sails, out came the
oars, and soon the British fleet was making a struggle against the wind
which had seemed so fair a few minutes before. So strong was the breeze
that ten o'clock had passed before they reached the channel in which the
Americans lay. Arnold came eagerly to meet them, with the _Royal
Savage_, his largest vessel, and three of his gondolas. One of these,
the _Congress_, he had made his flagship. Soon the waters of that quiet
bay rang with the roar of cannon and the shouts of fighting men, and
Arnold, having drawn the fire of the whole British fleet, was obliged to
hurry back.

In doing so he met with a serious loss. The _Ro