Steve and his Band of Scouts
"The first thing that we have to do is to muster our forces and divide
up the work," said Steve, when his party of trappers and hunters who
were to act as scouts had left Fort William Henry a mile or more
behind them. "Without organisation we shall be nowhere. We cannot live
out here and do good work unless we rest, and if we wish to live we
must not dream of resting all together. There would be a very sad tale
to tell if we were so careless."
He called gently to Jim and Mac, who happened to be in rear of him,
and at a signal from the latter the band of scouts gathered about
their young leader, flitting noiselessly amongst the trees. As for
Steve, looking tanned and weather-beaten, and as fine and independent
a young leader as could well be found, he leaned against the
lichen-covered trunk of a small oak, from which the leaves had long
been shed, and kicked his snow-shoes from his feet.
"Make yourselves easy, boys," he said. "We'll discuss matters."
"One minute, Cap'n," answered Jim, shouldering his musket and facing
round. "Now, boys, you ain't forgot what we've been talkin' about. Get
into yer places, jest to let the Cap'n see as you know what's wanted.
Hem! Form line! Pete, you're a foot or two out in yer calculations.
Jest hop back a piece; and Mac, didn't I tell yer back there in the
fort that an old soljer such as you air should know better how to
range up with the company?"
Steve was amazed, and watched with a twinkle of amusement in his
steady eyes as the band of backwoodsmen shambled into line, a line
remarkable rather for its broken appearance and for its irregular gaps
than for regularity. For the lusty and courageous backwoodsmen who
till that day knew no master, who had fought and hunted in their own
manner, without direction from any one, and more often than not with
themselves alone to look to for leadership and advice, had little or
no notion of discipline. They scoffed at leaders as a general rule,
and at formation of any description. And in consequence the argument
which had induced them at length to conform to Jim's wishes had waxed
hot and furious.
"We've been settin' our heads together, Cap'n," said Jim, as he ran
his eye down the ragged line of staunch backwoodsmen and scowled
at Mac and a few others who did not show that amount of interest
in the movement which pleased him. "We've seen what them chaps air
like way back at the fort, and we reckoned that after all a bit of
discipline air wanted. Yer see, supposin' we was called together all
of a sudden, and them skunks of redskins war close handy, waal, if
we hadn't any idea of order, where should we all be? Reckon the most
of us would be jawin' and tellin' the others what to do. Waal, that
ain't the thing to keep scalps on our heads. We want to collect quick
as a flash and wait for a command. Ef you don't happen to be handy,
then me or Mac or Pete, jest in that order, ef it's agreeable to you,
'll take over the post of leader for the time, and there won't be
no--no--what's the word boys?"
"Confusion," suggested Steve quietly, suppressing the smile of
amusement which was on his lips and stepping into his snow-shoes
again. For all of a sudden he realized that these men who had
so willingly placed themselves under his command were serious,
desperately serious, and meant to do their utmost to get even with the
enemy and wrest back from him the possessions which they had lost.
The fine fellows were ready to sacrifice some of their much-cherished
independence with the one object of making success more assured. He
ran his eye down the rank of stalwart trappers, and noted Jim's slim
proportions, his tall, wiry figure. Then Mac's flaming red beard
caught his attention, and he looked with open approval at the sturdy,
short figure of the Irishman, who stood at attention, his musket to
the shoulder, his eye fixed on his leader. A glance, in fact, was
sufficient to show that he alone of the whole company present had had
some experience of drill and discipline. There, too, was Pete, his
bulky figure bursting almost from his hunting shirt, his head and ears
swathed in a huge coon-skin cap. Of the others, tall and short, slim
or more sturdily built, there was not one who had not the appearance
of a hardy backwoodsman. There was a keen look in every face, and if
he had not known it before, the manner in which this band had slipped
from the fort that morning and made their way into the forest told him
that all were skilled in such work, that every man had had experience
and could be counted on to act with the stealth and cunning of the
oldest Indians. Though all with the exception of Mac lounged on their
muskets in the most unmilitary style, Steve felt gratified at this
the first sign of some attention to discipline. He swept his eye
along the line again and let it rest on Silver Fox for the space of a
second. The Mohawk warrior stood behind the line of men, resting upon
his firearm, the fringes of his moccasins trailing into the snow at
his feet. There was a look almost of scorn on his sharply-chiselled
features, a look which seemed to say that he of all the party thought
such a movement unnecessary.
"With men of my race such a thing is unnecessary, Hawk," he said in
his slow, gutteral tones. "With us there is a leader, and when danger
comes on the sudden the chirrup of a bird, the call of a wild cat, or
the screech of an owl brings all together. Then he who speaks is the
chief. If others dare to open their lips they die. With these comrades
other methods are wanted perhaps. If so they are good. These are
all brave men, and are here to fight and not to play. Silver Fox is
satisfied."
"And I too," cried Steve, as he strode down the ranks and passed a
word with every man. "Boys, you have done me the honour of accepting
me as your leader, and I will do my best for you. I think that we all
have the same cause for coming here. We have something to win back
from the French and their Indians, and we have a king who asks for
our help. I am glad to see that you are prepared to obey some sort of
discipline, for it will certainly help us in case we should ever get
into a tight place. It will be of service too when we are in action,
and I for one have come here to fight, to do my best to drive back the
French and their Indians."
There was a general shuffling of snow-shoes at his words, a restless
movement along the ragged line which told that the men approved. Had
regular soldiers been there they would have tossed their caps on to
their bayonets and cheered. But these backwoodsmen knew well that a
shout might bring a hornet's nest about their ears, and more than
that, custom had taught them to be taciturn as a rule, to be silent
and thoughtful, given to deeds and not to words.
"And we're all here to do the same," burst in Jim. "Reckon me and you,
Cap'n, and every boy here, has a bone to clean with them 'ere French,
and ef we hadn't er guessed as you would most likely show us some
fightin', why----"
"Sure ye know we'd not have been here," sang out Mac, his long
friendship with Steve and Jim overcoming all discipline. "But Hawk'll
show us the way, bhoys, and remimber, ivery one of ye, that till
we can drive these men back to their own counthry there'll be no
peace for us, their murtherin' Indians will be rhunnin' over our
sittlemints, and our wives and childer, God kape the darlints! will be
back there where we've lift 'em, waitin' and longin' for their homes."
There was a low growl from the ragged rank at that, and the
backwoodsmen instinctively gripped the barrels of their ponderous
muskets. There was now a stern look in their eyes, a look which boded
ill for the enemy.
"Then we are all agreed," sang out Steve. "Now for ways and means. I
propose that we live out of the fort. Men there are dying daily from
infectious disease, while those who form the garrison have little to
do but grumble. Let us take up our quarters out here in the forest. We
are used to roughing it, and know well how to provide against severe
weather."
"Seth Shorter! Where air yer, Seth? Ah, then step forward and speak
up," sang out Jim at this moment. "Now, Cap'n, Seth here has been born
and brought up close to these lakes, and I reckon he'll know every
inch of the ground. Ef we're to live out in the forest, he's the boy
to say where. As for livin' out, why we're all for that, for who'd
want to stay in there at the fort?"
He pointed a contemptuous finger in the direction of Fort William
Henry where they had spent the previous night, and where even that
short experience had taught them that life in the British stronghold
was not one altogether to be desired. For, as Steve had said, men died
fast from disease, while the hours hung terribly heavy for all who
formed the garrison.
"Now, Seth, where air this camp of ours to be?" demanded Jim,
slouching up to the sturdy backwoodsman who had been called upon, and
slapping him upon the shoulder with his gloved hand. "Where air the
place, lad?"
"Thar ain't a doubt where we should camp," came the ready answer.
"It's like this, Cap'n and mates. Here's Wood Creek running down
from the foot of Lake Champlain, and alongside of it thar's Lake St.
George, which is a good deal bigger. Waal, up thar, at the foot of
Champlain, there's Crown Point, one of them Frenchie's forts, and
below that they've Ticonderoga building. Between Lake St. George and
Wood Creek thar's a tidy strip of land and wood, and ef thar's a place
as I know, why---"
"You are acquainted with that," interrupted Steve, eagerly. "Well?"
"Waal, thar's a bit of a stretch o' rocky ground at the foot of that
strip o' land, and thar ain't a tree on it for quite a bit. All
round's forest, same as this, and then thar's the frozen lakes. Now,
Cap'n, I've shot and trapped over that 'ere place scores o' times, and
me and a mate once did a winter's outin' thar, trappin' and collectin'
pelts. We was, as you might say, jest as this 'ere party air. We was
lookin' for a campin' ground whar we could live in spite of weather,
and whar we could have a show ef them red-skinned varmint comed along."
"And yer found it?" asked Jim eagerly.
"You bet. That thar rocky ground has got a kind of nose on it. It
kicks up into the air all of a sudden, jest a hundred feet perhaps,
and right at the top it dips jest as sudden. That dip air about the
size to take this party, and with a few trees across the top and
a lacing of reeds the snow'll lie and form a roof which looks as
natural--waal----"
"As possible," suggested Steve.
"Right, Cap'n. As natural as possible I reckon. From that ere place a
few of us chaps could hold up a hundred and more of the varmint ef we
had a supply of victuals."
"Then we'll make for it and inspect," said Steve promptly. "How far is
it from the fort?"
"A matter of five mile perhaps, mate, I mean Cap'n."
"The same, my lad," laughed Steve. "We are all mates on this trail.
But one word before we move. You are all more experienced than I am,
and since you have decided to follow some sort of discipline, I will
say nothing more about it, but leave the matter to you alone. But once
we have our quarters we will divide into watches, and select hunters
and scouts. Now, Seth, just give us a lead."
The trapper shuffled over the snow at once, his musket flung over his
shoulder, and without seeming to take note of his position strode
off at right angles to the course which they had been following. As
promptly his comrades divided into parties, which had been arranged by
Jim and Mac, and while some trailed off after Seth and Steve, others
moved away like ghosts into the forests to act as flanking guards.
And as Steve cast his eye to right and left he caught sight of their
figures every now and again, silently flitting between the trees, each
man listening intently, noting every little sign, and still keeping
in touch with the main party. Ten minutes later the hoot of an owl
brought the trappers together.
"Thar's been redskins and Frenchies here," said one of the band, as
he pointed to a narrow track in the snow. "They passed last night, I
should reckon."
"And blazed a fresh trail," added Steve swiftly. "Look over there."
His sharp eye had seen a white clip in the side of a tree some
distance away, and closer inspection and a little search showed that
he was not in error.
"The Hawk has an eye of which the finest chief might be proud," said
Silver Fox. "These men passed in the afternoon of yesterday. There
were ten of them."
"And one was less accustomed to shoes than the others," said Steve
swiftly. "He was a pale face."
"He was. The Hawk can read the signs as I have already learned. One
was a pale face, and he led. They went towards the fort, blazing a new
track. They returned across the ice."
There was an exclamation at that from some of the trappers who up till
lately had been unacquainted with Silver Fox. But Jim silenced the
doubts of his comrades promptly.
"How's that, chief?" he asked in the Mohawk, which all the party
understood. "How did you get that reckonin'?"
"Ask the Hawk," was the curt answer. "He read these signs, and he knew
how they returned."
"It is easy to guess at their track back, but one cannot say
absolutely for sure," smiled Steve. "Look at the tracks of their shoes
here, boys. Well, there are no return traces. Yesterday they made in
the direction of Fort William, and I guess that they were back at
their own quarters before night fell. Remember how cold it was and how
it began to blow in the early afternoon."
"It did that," exclaimed one of the men. "The snow was sweeping over
the ice on the lakes."
"Just so, and the clouds of snow hid them well. They slipped from the
forest on to the ice, and with the wind behind them were almost blown
back home, while their traces were covered. Here, in the forest, where
the full force of the wind was not so much felt, their tracks are
pretty clear. They are home again, boys, and we can do nothing with
them to-day. But another time----"
"We'll remember that they've blazed a path," said Jim curtly. "We'll
set a watch on this place."
Once more the band separated and plunged on through the silent forest,
and within a little while they found themselves on rising ground which
finally led up to a hollow, some fifty feet long, by twenty broad, and
some fifteen deep. Its opening faced directly north, in the direction
of the French position, while its back was walled in by a mass of
rock and frozen earth. For roof it had the sky, now overcast and
treacherous-looking, save at the extreme rear, where a mass of snow
was supported by the branches of a fallen tree.
"The only one as grew up thar," explained Seth, pointing to it. "Me
and my mate felled it and dropped it inter position, whar it formed
a roof over our heads. Now ef we was to do the same right along, and
place a wall in front, there'd be a fort ter be proud of, and room in
plenty for every man."
For some few minutes the members of the band closely inspected the
hollow and its surroundings, Steve noting with much satisfaction that
the slightly elevated position of the mound gave those who occupied
it a perfect watch-tower from which they could in clear weather see
the frozen surfaces of Lake St. George and Wood Creek, while the trees
stood back so far that there was little or no cover for an attacking
enemy. It was just the place for an armed camp, for it was within
reach of their friends, occupied an advanced position, and, owing
to its nearness to Fort William Henry, could easily be victualled.
For a little while he stood on the edge of the hollow staring out at
the wind-swept and dark frozen surface of the long lake to the left,
known as St. George, and then at the still more slender strip to the
right, Wood Creek, on the banks of which many a little skirmish had
taken place between colonials and French Indians. _La petite guerre_,
as the French named these conflicts, had been the order for many a
month past, for the enemy were bold, and too often their Indians and
_coureurs de bois_ had pounced upon the colonials as they gathered
firewood, or looked for food in the forests. Steve and his party, with
such a commanding position, might well hope to put a stop to many of
these unexpected attacks.
"We have found the very place, Cap'n," exclaimed Jim, with some
emphasis, as he stared around. "On a quiet night I reckon we could
easily hear folks on the ice, and ef we was held up badly, why a
charge of powder buried under the rocks and fired with a train would
make a boom as would come to the ears of those in the fort."
"We'll occupy it and take possession at once," answered Steve readily.
"Call the men round."
An hour later fourteen figures could be seen slouching away from the
mound across the snow in the direction of Fort William Henry, while
their comrades, with Steve, slipped their gloves from their fingers,
and, slinging their muskets, made for the forest. A few words, in
fact, to these intensely practical men had set them in motion. While
three stood on the mound keeping a sharp look out, the others went to
drag the longest boughs they could find in the forest, where hundreds
lay on the ground. Then the fourteen who had made back for the fort
carried a note from Steve asking for stores of every description.
Indeed, as the night began to fall this portion of Steve's following
came trailing back, dragging an improvised sledge, on which they had
loaded cases of salted meat, dried bear's flesh, bacon, and beans,
besides rum, lead, and an ample supply of powder.
Meanwhile those who had remained had gathered a huge stock of boughs,
and had easily contrived to place the longest across the top of the
hollow. Others had been laid crosswise on these, and on the top of all
a thick covering of brambles, reeds, and pine branches had been strewn.
One of the backwoodsmen had detached himself from his fellows, and
while they laboured at the roofing of their fort he had set to work
with knife and tomahawk. He was an expert, it seemed, for in a little
while he had a number of blocks of frozen snow collected at the very
mouth of the hollow. And with these and a number of loose rocks
he soon contrived to erect a rough fireplace, with a wide chimney
overhanging it, which ran up the sloping back of the hollow, and
finally pushed its white top through the rough roof above. It was a
neat job, and one to be proud of, and this trapper longed to see the
chips which he had set in the grate below fired, and send long tongues
of flame up the chimney.
"You'd have the hul howling lot of varmint round us in a jiffy,"
growled Jim, as he watched the man lay the wood in the grate. "Reckon
thet fire'll have to get started when it snows hard, and after that,
when it's light, nothing but chips as dry as a bone'll have to get
throwed on it. Even then, thar ain't any sayin' as a redskin wouldn't
spot the smoke."
"With care, it will be well," said Silver Fox, as Jim turned to him as
if to ask for his decision. "See, my brother, behind the smoke there
will be the sky, and it is clear and white. If dry chips are used
there will be a little white smoke perhaps, but none that is dark. We
can keep fire within the fort once it has been set alight. Truly, you
pale faces think of strange things. Where my brothers and I would have
set our wigwams in the thickest forest, there seeking protection from
the snow and keen winter winds, you come hither and burrow like foxes.
You make one big wigwam where we should have seen no opportunity of
doing so, and as I look on and smoke you erect a fort which is strong
against attack, which is a watch-tower from which you can see every
foot of the lakes, and which also is a comfortable lair in which the
firelight can be seen, and where we may huddle about the warmth, and
smoke and think. Truly there is no understanding you men who have come
so strangely from over the water."
The tall Indian brave wrapped his blanket still closer about his
figure, and gazed out at the huge panorama stretched before him.
There lay the glistening surface of the two lakes, now clad with ice
from end to end, and fringed all about by continuous forest, which
grew up to the banks and cast there a deep shadow, which looked
black against the white of the ice. And away in the distance the
faint reflection from another long expanse of frozen water, Lake
Champlain, called after that famous Frenchman who had done so much
for New France, and who had founded Quebec. It, too, was clad in a
garment of white, snow hanging to the trees, and in the dull wintry
green of the pines, which grew thickly there. For background there
was the blue haze of the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains, now
the favourite haunt of thousands of holiday-seeking Americans. And
still farther to the north, buried in the dull horizon and behind it,
lay the Richelieu river, with its few forts, and its _seigneuries_,
where the _gentilhommes_ of this new colony, the lately-constructed
noblesse, sat in their palisaded houses watching as their _habitants_
cooked their food or went a-hunting. Then it was that these noblesse
might don doe-skin leggings, shirt, and moccasins, and clad in the
thick fur coats, with hoods, worn by the Indians of Canada, and with
thick mittens slung about their necks, might venture into the forest
with the _habitants_ and enjoy all the excitement of the chase. Yes,
they could hunt and fight, but work, never! Each one was the seigneur,
and the lords of Old and New France never blistered their palms nor
dirtied their fingers.
"We're almost ready," said Steve, as he stood beside the tall Silver
Fox, staring out at the scene below. "What we want now is a wall of
snow here in front. How are we to set about building it?"
"It's as easy as fallin'," answered Jim at once. "Look up there,
Cap'n."
He pointed to the leaden sky above, and held his hand up for a minute.
"Wind's from the north, Cap'n," he said, "and it's goin' to snow.
To-morrow things'll be properly covered, and ef we jest build a wall
of branches at the face of this nest, waal, it'll be covered afore the
mornin'. Reckon this place'll be lookin' jest natural when the light
comes again."
"Then set the men to work," cried Steve, hurrying off to where a pile
of branches and small tree trunks had been dragged. "It will be dark
in an hour, and if it is going to snow, as I can well believe, why, we
may just as well make all snug beforehand."
Less than an hour later there was an erection of boughs and branches
against the face of the hollow, to which the finishing touches were
given as the darkness fell. By then snowflakes were silently flitting
to the ground, powdering the rough roof above the hollow, and resting
upon the caps and shoulders of the trappers. A little later it was
dark, and through the flakes the distant twinkle of a dozen or more
lights could be seen.
"Ticonderoga," said Steve, as he sheltered his face from the snow.
"To-morrow we shall hope to know more about its position and about the
movements of its garrison. Now, what about sentries?"
"Reckon we can all turn in and be comfortable, Cap'n," answered Jim
promptly. "There ain't no need for look-outs to-night. The snow'll
keep every livin' soul under cover. It's coming thicker. See for
yerself. The lights have gone, and the darkness is deeper."
One by one the gallant little band crept into the cosy little nest
which they had prepared, a strip of blanket being dropped over the
small opening which had been left amongst the branches. Then pipes
were produced and filled, while the backwoodsman who had so diligently
built fireplace and chimney, used flint and steel with a will, and
watched with all the pleasure of a child as the sparks caught hold and
the flames licked round the wood. Soon there was a bright blaze, while
smoke soared up the chimney.
"There ain't no red-skinned varmint as'll be able to see that, I
reckon," growled Jim, as he snatched a blazing ember from the fire and
lit his pipe, passing the brand round the circle when he had finished
with it. "It air snowin' hard, and the best brave livin' couldn't see
more'n a dozen yards. Get to work with supper, boys, then a yarn or
so, and we'll put in the best sleep we've had for many a night past."
Could the French commander at Ticonderoga have clambered to the top of
their hollow and peered down at the band lounging below, he would have
been more than a little disturbed. For the firelight which lit up the
quaint quarters of Steve's command, was reflected from every face, and
showed a collection of trappers, every one of whom was a man indeed.
They sat for the most part with their muskets close beside them, or
across their knees, for the habit had grown upon them these last few
months. And as they yarned, the tale falling now from this one, and
then from the lips of others of the band, stories of fierce border
fights came to the ear, stories which all knew to be true in every
detail. Wiry backwoodsmen recounted how they had left civilization to
become pioneers in the wilderness, how fortune had smiled upon them,
how the land had been cleared, the crops sown, the hut erected, and
the store of pelts increased, till the prospect for the future was
rosy. And then the French had come, they and their so-called Christian
Indians. Wives and children had been slaughtered, men had been slain
and scalped, huts fired, and the future utterly wrecked. That was the
moment when the forebodings of the French commander would have been
greatest, for every bronzed face below looked exceedingly grim and
determined, while often enough there was a bitter word on the lips of
those who had lost dear ones. Hands gripped the ponderous muskets,
while fingers fidgeted about the flint locks or felt for powder
pouches. Yes, these men had much with which to refresh their memories,
and each and every one was determined to come to hand-grips with the
French, and to fight till the day when the enemy was beaten and they
and their friends restored to their possessions.
"Time to turn in," said Steve at last. "Boys, we'll take it in turns
to keep the fire going, and to-morrow we'll tell off a couple to act
as cooks. Good-night! Let's hope we shall see something of the enemy
soon."
There was a chorus of good-nights, then blankets were produced, and
very soon the firelight showed only recumbent figures.
"There's a sight for yer," was Jim's exclamation on the following
morning, as he rose from his blanket and pushed his head through the
narrow outlet. "Ain't that a pictur?"
Steve pressed past him and gave a cry of amazement, for though he knew
the forest well, and had seen many a winter, he had never looked on
such a scene. Far and wide the country was white, and glistening in
the rays of a winter's sun. Trees and lakes and mountains all had the
same thick covering, save in a few odd places, where the green of the
pines broke through, or where the snow had tumbled from the treetops.
As for the lakes, they were a vast expanse of the whitest snow, laid
out most wonderfully at their feet, a long expanse which stretched
up to the banks, clambered up the trees, and ran on over the forest
unbroken. Unbroken? No, for suddenly Steve's arm shot out, and he
pointed in the direction of Ticonderoga.
"Critters," said Jim with a sniff of approval. "Injuns, I reckon, and
those are guns trailin' out behind 'em. Cap'n, it looks as ef they
war off on some expedition. There'll be two or three hundred of the
fellers."
It was true enough. Straggling across the surface of Lake St. George
came a small force of Indians and Frenchmen, while in rear trailed
a couple of guns mounted on sledges. The head of the expedition was
turned towards the foot of the lake, and, as it advanced, those who
looked could not be sure whether the force were intended for an attack
upon Fort William Henry, or whether they were themselves the object of
the enemy.
"There can no longer be a doubt," said Steve, some ten minutes later.
"Those fellows must have seen us, or gained news of our coming. They
are marching for this side of the lake, and before very long we shall
have their cannon playing on us. Call the boys."