oes and struck into the woods towards Lake
Oneida. Though made up chiefly of Hurons, the little army embraced
various allies, including a band of Algonquins. Whether from
over-confidence at having Champlain among them or from their natural
lack of discipline, the allies managed their attack very badly. On a
pond a few miles south of Oneida Lake lay the objective point of the
expedition--a palisaded stronghold of the Onondagas. At a short
distance from this fort eleven of the enemy were surprised and taken
prisoners. What followed was much less fortunate. Champlain does not
state the number of Frenchmen present, but as his drawing shows eleven
musketeers, we may infer that his own followers were distinctly {109}
more numerous than at the battle on Lake Champlain.

The height of the palisade was thirty feet, and a system of gutters
supplied abundant water for use in extinguishing fire. Champlain's
plan of attack was to employ a _cavalier_, or protected scaffolding,
which should overtop the palisade and could be brought close against
it. From the top of this framework four or five musketeers were to
deliver a fusillade against the Iroquois within the fort, while the
Hurons kindled a fire at the foot of the palisade. Champlain's drawing
shows the rest of the musketeers engaged in creating a diversion at
other points.

But everything miscarried. Though the _cavalier_ was constructed, the
allies threw aside the wooden shields which Champlain had caused to be
made as a defence against the arrows of the Iroquois while the fire was
being kindled. Only a small supply of wood had been collected, and
even this was so placed that the flames blew away from the palisade
instead of towards it. On the failure of this attempt to fire the fort
all semblance of discipline was thrown to the winds. 'There also rose
such disorder among them,' says Champlain, 'that one could not
understand {110} another, which greatly troubled me. In vain did I
shout in their ears and remonstrate to my utmost with them as to the
danger to which they exposed themselves by their bad behaviour, but on
account of the great noise they made they heard nothing. Seeing that
shouting would only burst my head and that my remonstrances were
useless for putting a stop to the disorder, I did nothing more, but
determined, together with my men, to do what we could and fire upon
such as we could see.' The fight itself lasted only three hours, and
the casualt