re
cutting down trees and chopping them up into firewood.

"I suppose we've got to go over and capture some of those men, Amos."

"Yes; seems a p-pity, too, to attack men cutting wood. It puts me in
mind of home. That's what I'd be doing now if I were there."

Rogers left a few scouts to watch these men, and the rest of us returned
with the engineer.

The weather grew colder and colder. All this time we could have no
fires. We watched each other to see if an ear or a nose were getting
frost-bitten. I told Amos that his right ear looked pretty white, and
that he had better see if there were any feeling in it.

He took off his mittens and pinched it.

"It don't hurt a bit. There isn't a mite of feeling."

I gave it a good rubbing, and he soon had feeling enough in it. "That
comes from wearing such long ears, my boy."

His toes felt numb, and he went to a place that was bare of snow, took
off his rackets, and stamped to get some life into his feet.

The regulars suffered much more than we did, for they had no rackets,
and had been wallowing along in the deep snow. So many were frost-bitten
that Rogers sent all the regulars back to Sabbath Day Point, and thirty
Rangers with them.

Amos went with this party. They were told to build fires to keep
themselves warm, and to wait for us.

[Sidenote: THEY CAPTURE SOME PRISONERS]

At three in the morning the rest of us started out, Rogers, three
lieutenants, one regular, and forty Rangers, and Captain Lotridge with
forty-six Mohawk Indians.

We went southward to avoid being seen, and crossed South Bay about eight
miles south of the fort. Here we came upon the trail of a large party of
Indians who had gone toward Fort Edward; and Rogers sent off a couple of
scouts to notify the men at the fort.

Then we turned and marched north in a couple of files, till we got
within half a mile of the place where the French were cutting wood.

Two Rangers and two Indians were sent forward to scout. They returned
and reported that about forty Frenchmen were at work opposite the fort.

"Now, boys," said Rogers, "get ready."

We threw down our blankets, and crept up silently till we were near
them. Then we rushed on them and took several prisoners. Many others
were killed by our Indians.

The French over at Fort Ticonderoga saw what was going on, and some
eighty Canadians and Indians ran out of the fort followed by about one
hundred and fifty regulars.

They pursued us.

"Spr