A SCOUTING EXPEDITION IN THE DEAD OF WINTER
One day about the end of February, Edmund came out of Rogers's hut, and
said:--
"Rogers is going on a scout, boys, down to Ticonderoga, and will take
your company. Johnson is going to send over fifty Mohawk Indians under
Captain Lotridge, and there'll be a number of regulars, too. There will
be about three hundred and fifty men in the party, so that there won't
be much chance of your being treated as we were in our first expedition.
An engineer lieutenant named Bhreems is going with you, and will make
sketches of the fort. You are to try and take some prisoners to bring
back information."
We set out on the third of March, 1759.
The snow was deep, and the Rangers and Indians were on snowshoes. The
regulars followed us, plodding along heavily through the snow. We
reached Halfway Brook that night, and the next day got over to Lake
George. We waited till it was dark and then marched down the lake to the
First Narrows, which we reached about two in the morning.
It was bitter cold, and already some of the men were so badly
frost-bitten that twenty of them had been sent back to Fort Edward.
"Now, boys," said Rogers, "we must keep under cover all day and hide
till night comes on. You can't have any fires. Get into sheltered spots
and huddle together to keep warm, and shift round now and then to give
every one a fair chance."
We huddled together like sheep and covered ourselves with our blankets.
Occasionally we rose, stamped our feet and beat our hands, and then
crouched down again.
When it was dark we put on our rackets and set out again. By daybreak we
reached the landing-place. Rogers sent scouts to see if any of the enemy
were out. They reported that there were two parties of them cutting
wood on the east side of Lake Champlain.
[Sidenote: FRENCH WOODCUTTERS]
Rogers now marched with fifty Rangers and as many Indians down to the
isthmus, and we went up the same hill from which John Stark and Engineer
Clark made their observations the year before. Everything looked
different in the winter. We were acting as a guard to Mr. Bhreems, who
went up to the crest of the hill and made sketches of the fort. Amos and
I crept along the sidehill to where a few Indians and Rangers were
watching some Frenchmen at work on the other side of the lake. They were
cutting down trees and chopping them up into firewood.
"I suppose we've got to go over and capture some of those men, Amos."
"Yes; seems a p-pity, too, to attack men cutting wood. It puts me in
mind of home. That's what I'd be doing now if I were there."
Rogers left a few scouts to watch these men, and the rest of us returned
with the engineer.
The weather grew colder and colder. All this time we could have no
fires. We watched each other to see if an ear or a nose were getting
frost-bitten. I told Amos that his right ear looked pretty white, and
that he had better see if there were any feeling in it.
He took off his mittens and pinched it.
"It don't hurt a bit. There isn't a mite of feeling."
I gave it a good rubbing, and he soon had feeling enough in it. "That
comes from wearing such long ears, my boy."
His toes felt numb, and he went to a place that was bare of snow, took
off his rackets, and stamped to get some life into his feet.
The regulars suffered much more than we did, for they had no rackets,
and had been wallowing along in the deep snow. So many were frost-bitten
that Rogers sent all the regulars back to Sabbath Day Point, and thirty
Rangers with them.
Amos went with this party. They were told to build fires to keep
themselves warm, and to wait for us.
[Sidenote: THEY CAPTURE SOME PRISONERS]
At three in the morning the rest of us started out, Rogers, three
lieutenants, one regular, and forty Rangers, and Captain Lotridge with
forty-six Mohawk Indians.
We went southward to avoid being seen, and crossed South Bay about eight
miles south of the fort. Here we came upon the trail of a large party of
Indians who had gone toward Fort Edward; and Rogers sent off a couple of
scouts to notify the men at the fort.
Then we turned and marched north in a couple of files, till we got
within half a mile of the place where the French were cutting wood.
Two Rangers and two Indians were sent forward to scout. They returned
and reported that about forty Frenchmen were at work opposite the fort.
"Now, boys," said Rogers, "get ready."
We threw down our blankets, and crept up silently till we were near
them. Then we rushed on them and took several prisoners. Many others
were killed by our Indians.
The French over at Fort Ticonderoga saw what was going on, and some
eighty Canadians and Indians ran out of the fort followed by about one
hundred and fifty regulars.
They pursued us.
"Spread out, boys, into a line abreast. Don't let them get a raking shot
at you. Make for that rising ground over there."
"I thought the old man wouldn't clear out without giving them a little
fun," said McKinstry. "'Twouldn't be neighbourly after all the trouble
they are taking to entertain us."
We retreated till we reached the rising ground, and then made a stand.
The Canadians and Indians had snowshoes, and were a good deal ahead of
the regulars. As they approached us, McKinstry said: "I wonder what kind
of a shot you can make, Ben, with that French gun you've got. I'll take
that big Frenchman over there with the blue shirt on."
"Well, then, I'll take the fellow next to him on the left."
They ran up toward us, and began to fire. We waited till they got close,
and returned their fire. As the smoke blew away, McKinstry said:--
[Sidenote: A WARM RECEPTION]
"Both of our men are down. You did well, Ben. It's a good deal easier to
shoot a partridge than it is to shoot a man who is running at you with a
gun in his hand."
The French fell back and waited for the regulars, and we started on
again.
We reached a long ridge, and crossing to the further side of it, halted.
They came close to us, and McKinstry and I again chose our men. The
Rangers poured a hot fire into them. We could not see till the smoke
lifted.
"Your man is down, Ben; and I can see my man running away, but he
limps."
"His toes may be frost-bitten, Mac."
"They weren't five minutes ago."
Our last fire completely routed the French, and they gave up the
pursuit.
Two Rangers were killed; one of them was next to me as he fell. The
regular who went with us was shot, and an Indian was wounded.
Of the enemy, some thirty were killed. We had the advantage in
position, being sheltered by the ridge.
We kept on the go till twelve o'clock that night, having marched over
fifty miles since we started in the morning. This, together with our
three small scrimmages, might be considered an ample day's work. The
snow was about four feet deep, and many of the party had their feet
frozen, for it was bitter cold.
When we got to Sabbath Day Point, we found the rest of our men there,
and a number of good fires. We warmed ourselves at them, and our
companions brought us some warm food and drink.
Amos's ear was puffed up, and his toes were so sore he could hardly
walk.
We were very tired, and rolled ourselves up in our blankets near the
fires, and had a sound sleep.
The next day we marched as far as Long Island, and camped there that
night.
At sunrise one of our Indians brought word that a large herd of deer was
on the lake near the west side.
[Sidenote: A HERD OF DEER]
McKinstry, Martin, Amos, and I got leave to go after them with some
other Rangers and Indians. Amos started with us too.
"This is f-fun, Ben. A whole herd of d-deer waiting to be knocked over.
Oh, my feet!"
He limped along, and the sweat stood out on his face. "It's no use, Ben.
I can't do it. I call that t-tough luck--to be cheated out of the best
chance for hunting I ever had. Good-by."
He felt as bad over it as a boy of twelve would to lose Thanksgiving
dinner.
We divided into two parties. A half a dozen Indians walked up the lake
beyond the deer, so as to drive them toward us; and the rest of us went
to the west side of the lake and up into the woods, till we were hidden
from the lake.
We walked along on a path that was near the shore of the lake, till we
were opposite the deer, and the Indians were already in a line on the
further side of them.
"Now, boys," said McKinstry, "spread out, so that they can't run to the
shore, and in this going we ought to get them all."
We went down on the ice and drove them toward the Indians and then
formed a circle around them.
As we had rackets on, and the snow was deep, we could outrun the deer,
and we killed the whole herd--twelve in all. Most of us shot our deer,
but the Indians ran alongside of them and killed their deer with their
hunting-knives.
"No more salt beef for us for a week or so," said McKinstry. "I've been
longing for a bit of venison."
We cut up our deer, and making some rude sleds out of bark, placed our
venison on them, and soon overtook the rest of our party, for they moved
slowly.
Rogers had sent word to Fort Edward that many of the men were
frost-bitten and unable to walk; and one hundred men with a number of
Indian sleds were sent to us and met us on the lake. Amos got on one of
these sleds, and we marched back to Fort Edward.