put them out, they being in
possession and intrenched. Look, Black Rifle comes out of the forest!
And Haace is with him! They have something to tell!"

It was the honor and pleasure of young Lennox and the Onondaga to be
present at the councils, and though they said nothing to their elders
unless asked for an opinion, they always listened with eagerness to
everything. Now Willet, Rogers and Daganoweda drew together, and Black
Rifle and Haace, their dark eyes gleaming, made report to them.

"A strong force, at least one hundred and fifty men, lies about five
miles to the north, on the shore of the lake," said Black Rifle. "About
twenty Frenchmen are with it, and it is commanded by St. Luc. I saw him
from the bushes. He has with him the Canadian, Dubois. De Courcelles and
Jumonville are there also. At least a hundred warriors and Frenchmen are
on the lake, in canoes and long boats. I saw Tandakora too."

"A formidable force," said Willet. "Do you wish to turn back,
Daganoweda?"

The eyes of the Mohawk chieftain glittered and he seemed to swell both
in size and stature.

"We are a hundred," he replied proudly. "What does it matter how many
they are? I am astonished that the Great Bear should ask me such a
question."

Willet laughed softly.

"I asked it," he said, "because I knew what the answer would be. None
other could come from a Mohawk chieftain."

Again the eyes of Daganoweda glittered, but this time with pride.

"Shall we advance and attack St. Luc's force tonight?" said Willet,
turning to Rogers.

"I think it would be best," replied the Mountain Wolf. "A surprise is
possible tonight only. Tomorrow his scouts are sure to find that we are
near. What say you, Daganoweda?"

"Tonight," replied the Mohawk chief, sententiously.

There was no further discussion, and the whole force, throwing out
skirmishers, moved cautiously northward through the great, green
wilderness. It was a fair night for a march, not enough moonlight to
disclose them at a distance, and yet enough to show the way. Robert kept
close to Tayoga, who was just behind Willet, and they bore in toward the
lake, until they were continually catching glimpses of its waters
through the vast curtain of the forest.

Robert's brain once more formed pictures, swift, succeeding one another
like changes of light, but in high colors. The great lake set in the
mountains and glimmering under the moon had a wonderful effect upon his
imagination. It became