ible events which had taken place, and for which,
as he could not but be aware, he would be to some extent held
responsible, by public opinion, for having refused to move to Monro's
assistance, to pay much attention to the young officer's statement.

"You were quite right, sir, quite right to carry off your command," he
said hastily. "Thank God there are so many the fewer of his majesty's
troops sacrificed! You will please take your company out at once into
the woods. They are accustomed to the work, which is more than any of
my troops here are. Divide them into four parties, and let them scour
the forest, and bring in such of the fugitives as they can find. Let
them take as much provisions and rum as they can carry, for many of the
fugitives will be starving."

James executed his orders, and, during the next five days, sent in a
considerable number of exhausted men, who, hopelessly lost in the
woods, must have perished unless they had been discovered by his party.

Had Montcalm marched direct upon Fort Edward, he could doubtless have
captured it, for the fall of Fort William Henry had so scared Webb,
that he would probably have retreated the moment he heard the news of
Montcalm's advance, although, within a day or two of the fall of the
fort, many thousands of colonial militia had arrived. As soon, however,
as it was known that Montcalm had retired, the militia, who were
altogether unsupplied with the means of keeping the field, returned to
their homes.

Loudon, on his way back from the unsuccessful expedition against
Louisbourg, received the news of the calamity at Fort William Henry. He
returned too late to do anything to retrieve that disaster, and
determined, in the spring, to take the offensive by attacking
Ticonderoga. This had been left, on the retirement of Montcalm, with a
small garrison commanded by Captain Hepecourt, who, during the winter,
was continually harassed by the corps of Captain Rogers, and James
Walsham's scouts.

Toward the spring, receiving reinforcements, Hepecourt caught Rogers
and a hundred and eighty men in an ambush, and killed almost all of
them; Rogers himself, and some twenty or thirty men, alone escaping.

In the spring there was a fresh change of plans. The expedition against
Ticonderoga was given up, as another attempt at Louisbourg was about to
be made. The English government were determined that the disastrous
delays, which had caused the failure of the last expedition, should