to hand.

When I had fired, I pulled out my hatchet, and as these
devilish-looking savages in their red and black paint rushed at me, I
cut and hacked with my hatchet in my right hand, and holding my firelock
in my left, warded off the blows with it. A blow on my arm knocked the
hatchet from my hand. Then I used my gun as a club. It was a long,
heavy, old firelock, and anger and excitement added to my strength, so
that it was a terrible weapon. I smashed away with it till nothing was
left but the bent barrel.

When we drove them back, I picked up a French gun and a hatchet. There
were plenty of them, for dead and dying men lay in heaps on the ground.

We struggled with them an hour and a half, during which time we lost
over one hundred men.

Rogers was in the thick of the fight most of the time. Yet he saw what
was going on round us, and directed our movements. Toward dark he cried
out: "It's no use, boys; we must get out of this place. Follow me."

We ran up the mountain to a spot where Lieutenant Phillips and some men
were fighting a flanking party of Indians, and there we had another
lively scrimmage. We went along the side of the mountain. I had lost my
rackets. One couldn't think of them and fight, as we had been fighting,
too.

[Sidenote: AN ENCOUNTER]

Rogers shouted: "Scatter, boys! Every man for himself. Meet at the First
Narrows."

I loaded my gun and floundered along in the deep snow, making all
possible haste.

Looking behind, I saw that an Indian on snowshoes was following me. I
started up a side hill, where his rackets would not give him an
advantage.

He fired, but missed me. I turned and shot him, as he raised his hand to
throw his tomahawk. He fell and was quite dead by the time I reached
him.

It's no pleasant sight to look on the face of a man you have just
killed, even though you have right on your side, and he be only a
redskin.

One glance at that face and the staring eyes was enough. I felt weak and
guilty as I knelt by him, and picked up his rackets, gun, and
ammunition. I took his fur mantle, too, for I had thrown away my
blanket, and knew that I should be cold before the night was over.

I wandered through the woods till the moon rose, and gave me the
direction to take. Then I came to the lake and went out on it, and at
last got to the Narrows, where I found what was left of our party.
Edmund and Amos were with them. Rogers had sent a messenger for
assistance.

Over two-thi