"Thank you, Captain Walsham," the commandant said. "I am greatly
indebted to you, for having brought us certain news of what is coming.
I will write off at once, and ask for reinforcements. This is a serious
expedition, and the colonies will have to make a great effort, and a
speedy one, if they are going to save the fort, for, from what we hear
of Montcalm, he is not likely to let the grass grow under his feet. I
shall report the services you have rendered."

As soon as Colonel Monro received the report James had brought him, he
sent to General Webb, who, with two thousand six hundred men, chiefly
provincials, was at Fort Edward, fourteen miles away. On the 25th of
July that general visited Fort William Henry, and, after remaining
there four days, returned to Fort Edward, whence he wrote to the
governor of New York, telling him the French were coming, and urging
him to send forward the militia at once, saying that he was determined
to march himself, with all his troops, to the fort. Instead of doing
so, three days later he sent up a detachment of two hundred regulars
under Lieutenant Colonel Young, and eight hundred Massachusetts men
under Colonel Frye. This raised the force at Fort William Henry to two
thousand two hundred men, and reduced that of Webb to sixteen hundred.

Had Webb been a brave and determined man, he would have left a few
hundred men, only, to hold Fort Edward, and marched with the rest to
assist Monro, when, on the morning of the 3d of August, he received a
letter from him, saying that the French were in sight on the lake. But,
as he was neither brave nor determined, he remained at Fort Edward,
sending off message after message to New York, for help which could not
possibly arrive in time.

Already, the garrison of Fort William Henry had suffered one reverse.
Three hundred provincials, chiefly New Jersey men, under Colonel
Parker, had been sent out to reconnoitre the French outposts. The
scouts, under James Walsham, were of the party. They were to proceed in
boats down the lake.

"I don't like this business, no way, captain," Nat said, as the company
took their place in the boats. "This ain't neither one thing or the
other. If Monro wants to find out about the enemy, Jonathan and I kin
do it. If he wants to fight the enemy, this lot ain't enough; besides,
these New Jersey men know no more about the forest than so many
children. You mark my words, this is going to be a bad business. Why,
they