, where they had cut it off, Franklin found
the diameter of the tree to be fourteen inches.

While the woodmen were cutting the palisades a large number of other
laborers were employed in digging a trench all around the circumference of
the fort to receive them. This trench was made about three feet deep, and
wide enough to receive the large ends of the palisades. As fast as the
palisades were cut they were brought to the spot, by means of the wagon
wheels which had been separated from the wagon bodies for this purpose.
The palisades were set up, close together, in the trench, and the earth
was rammed in around them; thus the inclosure of the fort was soon
completed.

A platform was then built all around on the inside, for the men to stand
upon to fire through the loop holes which were left in the palisades
above. There was one swivel gun, which the men had brought with them in
one of the wagons. This gun they mounted in one corner of the fort, and as
soon as they had mounted it they fired it, in order, as Franklin said, to
let the Indians know, if any were within hearing, that they had such
artillery.

There _were_ Indians within hearing it seems; several bands were lurking
in the neighborhood, secretly watching the movements of Franklin's
command. This was found to be the case a short time after the fort was
completed, for when Franklin found his army securely posted he sent out a
party of scouts to explore the surrounding country to see if any traces of
Indians could be found. These men saw no Indians, but they found certain
places on the neighboring hills where it was evident that Indians had been
lurking to watch the proceedings of the soldiers in building the fort.
Franklin's men were much struck with the ingenious contrivance which the
Indians had resorted to, in order to escape being observed while thus
watching. As it was in the depth of the winter it was absolutely necessary
for them to have a fire, and without some special precaution a fire would
have betrayed them, by the light which it would emit at night, or the
smoke which would rise from it by day. To avoid this, the Indians, they
found, had dug holes in the ground, and made their fires in the bottoms of
the holes, using charcoal only for fuel, for this would emit no smoke.
They obtained the charcoal from the embers, and brands, and burnt ends of
logs, which they found in the woods near by. The soldiers found by the
marks on the grass around these hole