CHAPTER IX
THE MASKED ATTACK
Light clouds floated before the moon, and the surface of the lakewas ruffled by a southern wind. As no attack was anticipated from thesouth, the guard in that quarter was comparatively small, but it wascomposed, nevertheless, of good men, the boat builders mostly, but allexperienced with the rifle and under the direct command of Carson. Butthe main force was always kept facing the forest, and, there, behindthe logs, Colden stood with the four--Black Rifle again being outside.The hooting of the owls had not been repeated and the long wait hadbecome hard upon the nerves of the young Philadelphia captain.
"Do you feel sure that they will attack to-night?" he asked Willet."Perhaps St. Luc, seeing the strength of our position, will draw offor send to Montcalm for cannon, which doubtless would take a week."
The hunter shook his head.
"St. Luc will not go away," he said, "nor will he send for cannon,which would take too long. He will not use his strength alone, he willdepend also upon wile and stratagem, against which we must guard everyminute. I think I'll take my own men and go outside. We can be of moreservice there."
"I suppose you're right, but don't walk into danger. I depend a lot onyou."
Willet climbed over the logs. Tayoga, Robert and Grosvenor followed.
"Red Coat buckled on a sword, and I did not think he would go on atrail again," said Tayoga.
"One instance in which you didn't read my mind right," rejoined theEnglishman. "I know that swords don't belong on the trail, but this isonly a little blade, and you fellows can't leave me behind."
"I did read your mind right," said Tayoga, laughing softly. "I merelyspoke of your sword to see what you would say. I knew all the timethat you would come with us."
The stumps, where the forest had been cut away, stretched for adistance of several hundred yards up the slope, and, a little distancefrom the breastwork, the dark shadow of Black Rifle came forward tomeet them.
"Nothing yet?" asked the hunter.
"Nothing so far. Three or four good men are with me among the stumps,but not a warrior has yet appeared. I suppose they know we'll be onwatch here, and it's not worth while taking so great a risk."
They advanced to the far edge of the stump region and crouched there.The night was now quite dark, the moon almost hidden, the stars butfew, and the forest a solid black line before them.
"Why can't Tayoga use his ears?" said Grosvenor. "He'll hear them,though a mile away."
"A little farther on and he will," replied Willet, "but we, in ourturn, don't dare to go deep into the forest."
A hundred yards more and the Onondaga put ear to earth, but it was along time before he announced anything.
"I hear footsteps fairly near to us," he said at last, "and I thinkthey are those of warriors. They would be more cautious, but they donot believe we are outside the line of logs. Yes, they are warriors,all warriors, there is no jingle of metal such as the French haveon their coats or belts, and they are going to take a look at ourposition. They are about to pass now to our right. I also hearsteps, but farther away, on our left, and I think they are those ofFrenchmen."
"Likely De Courcelles and Jumonville wanting also to look us over,"said Willet.
"There is another and larger force coming directly toward us,"continued the Onondaga, "and I think it includes both French andwarriors. This may be the attack and perhaps it would be better for usto fall back."
They withdrew a little, but remained among the stumps, though hiddencarefully. Robert himself could now hear the advance of the largeforce in front of them, and he wondered what could be St. Luc's planof battle. Surely he would not try to take the sawmill by storm inface of so many deadly rifles!
Black Rifle suddenly left the others and crept toward the right.Robert's eyes followed him, and his mind was held by a curious sort offascination. He knew that the scout had heard something and he almostdivined what was about to occur. Black Rifle stopped a moment or twoat a stump, and then curved swiftly about it. A dusky figure sprangup, but the war cry was choked in the throat of the Huron, and thenthe knife, wielded by a powerful arm, flashed. Robert quickly turnedhis eyes away, because he did not wish to see the fall of the blade,and he knew that the end was certain. Black Rifle came back in a fewmoments. His dark eyes glittered, but he had wiped the knife, and itwas in his belt again.
"His comrades will find him in a few minutes," said Willet, "and we'dbetter not linger here."
"They went back toward the sawmill and presently they heard a terriblecry of rage, a cry given for the fallen warrior.
"I don't think I shall ever grow used to such yells," said Grosvenor,shuddering.
"I've never grown used to 'em yet," said Robert.
The shout was followed by a half dozen shots, and a bullet or twowhistled overhead, but it was clear that all of them had been firedat random. The warriors, aware that the chance of surprise had passed,were venting their wrath in noise. Willet suddenly raised his ownrifle and pulled the trigger. Another dusky figure sprang up and thenfell prone.
"They were coming too close," he said. "That'll be a warning. Nowback, lads, to the breastwork!"
As they retreated the shots and yells increased, the forest ringingwith the whoops, while bullets pattered on the stumps. Both Grosvenorand Robert were glad when they were inside the logs once more, andColden was glad to see them.
"For all I knew you had fallen," he said, "and I can't spare you."
"We left our mark on 'em," said the saturnine Black Rifle. "They knowwe're waiting for 'em."
The demonstration increased in volume, the whole forest ringing withthe fierce whoops. Stout nerves even had good excuse for being shaken,and Colden paled a little, but his soul was high.
"Sound and fury but no attack," he said.
Willet looked at him approvingly.
"You've become a true forest leader, Captain Colden," he said. "You'velearned to tell the real rush from the pretended one. They won't tryanything yet a while, but they're madder than hornets, and they'resure to move on us later. You just watch."
Yet Colden, Wilton and the others were compelled to argue with themen, especially with the boat builders and wood choppers. Sternmilitary discipline was unknown then in the forest; the private oftenconsidered himself a better man than his officer, and frequently toldhim so. Troops from the towns or the older settled regions seemednever to grow used to Indian methods of warfare. They walked again andagain into the same sort of ambush. Now, they felt sure, because theIndian fire had evaporated in scattered shots, that the French and thewarriors had gone away, and that they might as well be asleep, savefor the guards. But Colden repressed them with a stern hand.
"If it hadn't been for our experience at Fort Refuge I might feel thatway myself," he said. "The silence is certainly consoling, and makesone feel that all danger has passed."
"The silence is what I dread most," said Robert. "Is anything stirringon the lake?"
"Not a thing," replied Wilton, who had been watching in that quarter."I never saw George look more peaceful."
Robert suggested that they go down to the shore again, and Wilton,Grosvenor and he walked through the camp, not stopping until theystood at the water's edge.
"You surely don't anticipate anything here," said Wilton.
"I don't know," replied Robert, thoughtfully, "but our enemies, bothFrench and Indians, are full of craft. We must guard against wile andstratagem."
Wilton looked out over the lake, where the gentle wind still blew andthe rippling waters made a slight sighing sound almost like a lullaby.The opposite cliffs rose steep and lofty, showing dimly through thedusk, but there was no threat in their dark wall. To south and norththe surface melted in the darkness, but it too seemed friendly andprotecting. Wilton shook his head. No peril could come by that road,but he held his peace. He had his opinion, but he would not utter italoud against those who had so much more experience than he.
The darkness made a further gain. The pallid moon wen
t wholly out, andthe last of the stars left. But they had ample wood inside the campand they built the fires higher, the flames lighting up the tannedeager faces of the men and gleaming along the polished barrels oftheir long rifles. Willet had inspected the supply of ammunition andhe considered it ample. That fear was removed from his mind.
Tayoga went to the edge of the forest again, and reported no apparentmovement in the force of St. Luc. But they had built a great fire oftheir own, and did not mean to go away. The attack would come sometime or other, but when or how no man could tell.
Robert, who could do as he pleased, concluded to stay with Wilton onthe shore of the lake, where the darkness was continually creepingcloser to the shore. The high cliffs on the far side were lost tosight and only a little of Andiatarocte's surface could now be seen.The wind began to moan. Wilton shivered.
"The lake don't look as friendly as it did an hour ago," he said.
A crash of shots from the slope followed his words. The war whoop roseand fell and rose again. Bullets rattled among the stumps and on thecrude stockade.
"The real attack!" said Wilton.
"Perhaps," said Robert.
He was about to turn away and join in the defense, but an impulsefrom some unknown source made him stay. Wilton's duty kept him there,though he chafed to be on the active side of the camp. The sharp crackof rifles showed that the defenders were replying and they sent fortha defiant cheer.
"They may creep down to the edge of the stumps and try to pick off ourmen," said Robert, "but they won't make a rush. St. Luc would neverallow it. I don't understand this demonstration. It must be a coverfor something else."
He looked thoughtfully into the darkness, and listened to the moan ofthe lake. Had the foe a fleet he might have expected an attack thatway, but he knew that for the present the British and Americanscontrolled Andiatarocte.
The darkness was still gathering on the water. He could not see twentyyards from the land, but behind him everything was brightness. Thefires had been replenished, the men lined the stockade and were firingfast. Cheers replied to whoops. Smoke of battle overhung the camp, anddrifted off into the forest. Robert looked toward the stockade. Againit was his impulse to go, and again he stayed. There was a slightgurgling in the water almost at his feet, and a dark figure rose fromthe waves, followed in an instant by another, and then by many more.Robert, his imagination up and leaping, thrilled with horror. Heunderstood at once. They were attacked by swimming savages. Whilethe great shouting and turmoil in their front was going on a line ofwarriors had reached the lake somewhere in the darkness, and were nowin the camp itself.
He was palsied only for a moment. Then his faculties were alive and hesaw the imminent need. Leaping back, he uttered a piercing shout, and,drawing his pistol, he fired point blank at the first of the warriors.Wilton, who had felt the same horror at sight of the dark faces, firedalso, and there was a rush of feet as men came to their help.
The warriors were armed only with tomahawk and knife, and they hadexpected a surprise which they might have effected if it had not beenfor Robert's keenness, but more of them came continually and theymade a formidable attack. Sending forth yell after yell as a signal totheir comrades in front that they had landed, they rushed forward.
Neither Robert nor Wilton ever had any clear idea of that fiercecombat in the dark. The defenders fired their rifles and pistols,if they had time, and then closed in with cold steel. Meanwhile theattack on the front redoubled. But here at the water's edge it wasfiercest. Borderer met warrior, and now and then, locked in the armsof one another, they fell and rolled together into the lake. Grosvenorcame too, and, after firing his pistols, he drew his small sword,plunging into the thick of the combat, thrusting with deadly effect.
The savages were hurled back, but more swimming warriors came to theiraid. Dark heads were continually rising from the lake, and stalwartfigures, almost naked, sprang to the shore. Tomahawks and knivesgleamed, and the air echoed with fierce whoop of Indian and shout ofborderer. And on the other side of the camp, too, the attack was nowpressed with unrelenting vigor. The shrill call of a whistle showedthat St. Luc himself was near, and Frenchmen, Canadians and Indians,at the edge of the cleared ground and in the first line of stumps,poured a storm of bullets against the breastwork and into the camp.
Many of the defenders were hit, some mortally. The gallant Colden hadhis fine three cornered hat, of which he was very proud, shot away,but, bare-headed, calm and resolute, he strode about among his men,handling his forces like the veteran that he had become, strengtheningthe weak points, applauding the daring and encouraging the faltering.Willet, who was crouched behind the logs, firing his rifle with deadlyeffect, glanced at him more than once with approval.
"Do you think we can hold 'em off, Tayoga?" the hunter said to theOnondaga, who was by his side.
"Aye, Great Bear, we can," replied Tayoga. "They will not be able toenter our camp here, but this is not their spearhead. They expectto thrust through on the side of the water, where they have comeswimming. Hark to the shouts behind us!"
"And the two lads, Robert and the young Englishman, have gone there.I think you judge aright about that being their spearhead. We'll gothere too!"
Choosing a moment when they were not observed by the others, lest itmight be construed as a withdrawal in the face of force, they slippedaway from the logs. It was easy to find such an opportunity as thecamp was now full of smoke from the firing, drifting over everythingand often hiding the faces of the combatants from their comrades onlya few yards away.
But the battle raged most fiercely along the water's edge. There itwas hand to hand, and for a while it looked as if the dusky warriorswould make good their footing. To the defenders it seemed that thelake spewed them forth continually, and that they would overwhelm withweight of numbers. Yet the gallant borderers would not give back, andencouraging one another with resounding cheers they held the doubtfulshore. Into this confused and terrible struggle Willet and Tayogahurled themselves, and their arrival was most opportune.
"Push 'em back, lads! Push 'em back! Into the water with 'em!" shoutedthe stalwart hunter, and emptying rifle and pistol he clubbed theformer, striking terrific blows. Tayoga, tomahawk in hand, went up anddown like a deadly flame. Soldiers and borderers came to the dangerpoint, and the savages were borne back. Not one of them coming fromthe water was able to enter the camp. The terrible line of lead andsteel that faced them was impassable, and all the time the tremendousshouts of Willet poured fresh courage and zeal into the young troopsand the borderers.
"At 'em, lads! At 'em!" he cried. "Push 'em back! Throw 'em into thewater! Show 'em they can't enter our camp, that the back door, likethe front door, is closed! That's the way! Good for you, Grosvenor!A sword is a deadly weapon when one knows how to use it! A wonderfulblow for you, Tayoga! But you always deal wonderful ones! Careful,Robert! 'Ware the tomahawk! Now, lads, drive 'em! Drive 'em hard!"
The men united in one mighty rush that the warriors could notwithstand. They were hurled back from the land, and, after theirfashion when a blow had failed, they quit in sudden and utter fashion.Springing into the water, and swimming with all their power, theydisappeared in the heavy darkness which now hovered close to shore.Many of the young soldiers, carried away by the heat of combat, wereabout to leap into the lake and follow them, but Willet, running upand down, restrained their eager spirits.
"No! No!" he cried. "Don't do that. They'll be more'n a match for youin the water. We've won, and we'll keep what we've won!"
All the warriors who had landed, save the dead, were now gone,evidently swimming for some point near by, and the battle in front, asif by a preconcerted signal, also sank down suddenly. Then St. Luc'ssilver whistle was heard, and French and Indians alike drew off.
Robert stood dazed by the abrupt end of the combat. His blood washot, and millions of black specks danced before his eyes. The suddensilence, after so much shouting and firing, made his pulses beat likethe sound of drums in his ears. He h
eld an empty pistol in his righthand, but he passed his left palm over his hot face, and wiped awaythe mingled reek of perspiration and burned gunpowder. Grosvenor stoodnear him, staring at the red edge of his own sword.
"Put up your weapon, Red Coat," said Tayoga, calmly. "The battle isover--for the time."
"And we've won!" exclaimed Grosvenor. "I could hardly believe it wasreal when I saw all those dark figures coming out of the water!"
Then he shuddered violently, and in sudden excess of emotion flung hissword from him. But he went a moment later and picked it up again.
The attack had been repulsed on every side, but the price paid waslarge. Fifteen men were dead and many others were wounded. The bodiesof seventeen Indians who had fallen in the water attack were foundand were consigned to the waves. Others, with their French allies, hadgone down on the side of the forest, but most of the fallen had beentaken away by their comrades.
It was a victory for Colden and his men, but it left serious alarm forthe future. St. Luc was still in the forest, and he might attack againin yet greater force. Besides, they would have to guard against manya cunning and dangerous device from that master of forest warfare.Colden called a council, at which Willet and Black Rifle were centralfigures, and they agreed that there was nothing to be done but tostrengthen their log outworks and to practice eternal vigilance. Thenthey began to toil anew on the breastworks, strengthening them withfresh timber, of which, fortunately, they had a vast supply, as somuch had been cut to be turned into boats. A double guard was placedat the water's edge, lest the warriors come back for a new attack, andthe wounded were made as comfortable as the circumstances would admit.Luckily Willet and many others were well acquainted with the rude buteffective border surgery, much of it learned from the Indians, andthey were able to give timely help.
The hurt endured in silence. Their frontier stoicism did not allowthem to give voice to pain. Blankets were spread for them under thesheds or in the sawmill, and some, despite their injuries, fell asleepfrom exhaustion. Soldiers and borderers walked behind the palisades,others continually molded bullets, while some were deep in slumber,waiting their turn to be called for the watch.
It began to rain by and by, not heavily, but a slow, dull, seepingfall that was inexpressibly dreary, and the thick, clammy darkness,shot with mists and vapors from the lake, rolled up to the veryedge of the fires. Robert might have joined the sleepers, as he wasdetached from immediate duty, but his brain was still too much heatedto admit it. Despite his experience and his knowledge that it couldnot be so, his vivid fancy filled forest and water with enemies comingforward to a new attack. He saw St. Luc, sword in hand, leading them,and, shaking his body violently, he laughed at himself. This wouldnever do.
"What does Dagaeoga see that is so amusing?" asked Tayoga.
"Nothing, Tayoga. I was merely ridiculing myself for looking into theblackness and seeing foes who are not there."
"And yet we all do it. If our enemies are not there they are at leastnot far away. I have been outside with Black Rifle, and we have beeninto the edge of the forest. Sharp Sword makes a big camp, and showsall the signs of intending to stay long. We may yet lose the sawmill.It is best to understand the full danger. What does Dagaeoga mean todo now?"
"I think I'll go back to the water's edge, and help keep the watchthere. That seems to be my place."
He found Wilton still in command of the lake guard, and Grosvenorwith him. The young Quaker had been shocked by the grim battle, but heshowed a brave front nevertheless. He had put on his military cloak toprotect himself from the rain, and Robert and Grosvenor had borrowedothers for the same purpose.
"We've won a victory," said Wilton, "but, as I gather, it's not final.That St. Luc, whose name seems to inspire so much terror, will comeagain. Am I not right, Lennox?"
"You're right, Wilton. St. Luc will come not a second time only, but athird, and a fourth, if necessary."
"And can't we expect any help? We're supposed to have command of thislake for the present."
"I know of none."
The three walked up and down, listening to the mournful lapping of thewaves on the beach, and the sigh of the dripping rain. The stimulusof excited action had passed and they felt heavy and depressed. Theycould see only a few yards over the lake, and must depend there uponear to warn them of a new attack that way. The fact added to theirworries, but luckily Tayoga, with his amazing powers of hearing,joined them, establishing at once what was in effect a listeningpost, although it was not called then by that name. Wilton drewmuch strength from the presence of the Onondaga, while it made theconfidence of Grosvenor supreme.
"Now we'll surely know if they come," he said.
A long while passed without a sign, but they did not relax theirvigilance a particle, and Tayoga interpreted the darkness for them.
"There was a little wind," he said, after a while, "but it is almostdead now. The waves are running no longer. I hear a slight sound tothe south which was not there before."
"I hear nothing, Tayoga," said Robert.
"Perhaps not, Dagaeoga, but I hear it, which is enough. The sound isquite faint, but it is regular like the beating of a pulse. Now I cantell what it is. It is the stroke of a paddle. There is a canoe uponthe lake, passing in front of us. It is not the canoe of a friend, orit would come at once to the land. It contains only one man. How doI know, Red Coat? Because the canoe is so small. The stroke of thepaddle is light and yet the canoe moves swiftly. A canoe heavy enoughto hold two men could not be moved so fast without a stroke alsoheavy. How do I know it is going fast, Dagaeoga? Do not ask suchsimple questions. Because the sound of the paddle stroke movingrapidly toward the north shows it. Doubtless some of Sharp Sword'swarriors brought with them a canoe overland, and they are now using itto spy upon us."
"What can we do about it, Tayoga?"
"Nothing, Red Coat. Ah, the canoe has turned and is now going backtoward the south, but more slowly. The man in it could locate our campeasily by the glow of the fires through the mist and vapors. Perhapshe can see a dim outline of our figures."
"And one of us may get a bullet while we stand here watching."
"No, Red Coat, it is not at all likely. His aim would be extremelyuncertain in the darkness. The warrior is not usually a good marksman,nor is it his purpose here to shoot. He would rather spy upon us,without giving an alarm. Ah, the man has now stopped his southwardjourney, and is veering about uncertainly! He dips in the paddleonly now and then. That is strange. All his actions express doubt,uncertainty and even alarm."
"What do you think has happened, Tayoga?"
"Manitou yet has the secret in his keeping, Dagaeoga, but if we waitin patience a little it may be revealed to me. The canoe is barelymoving and the man in it watches. Now his paddle makes a little splashas he turns slightly to the right. It is certain that he has beenalarmed. The spy thinks he is being spied upon, and doubtless he isright. He grows more and more uneasy. He moves again, he moves twicein an aimless fashion. Although we do not see him in the flesh, it iseasy to tell that he is trying to pierce the darkness with his eyes,not to make out us, but to discern something very near the canoe. Hisalarm grows and probably with good cause. Ah, he has made a suddenpowerful stroke, with the paddle, shooting the canoe many feet to theleft, but it is too late!"
"Too late for what, Tayoga?" exclaimed Robert.
The Onondaga did not reply for a moment or two, but stood tense andstrained. His eyes, his whole attitude showed excitement, a rare thingwith him.
"It was too late," he repeated. "Whatever threatened the man inthe canoe, whatever the danger was, it has struck. I heard a littlesplash. It was made by the man falling into the water. He has gone.Now, what has become of the canoe? Perhaps the warrior when he felldropped the paddle into the water, and the canoe is drifting slowlyaway. No, I think some one is swimming to it. Ah, he is in the canoenow, and he has recovered the paddle! I hear the strokes, which aredifferent from those made by the man who was in it before. They havea longer
sweep. The new man is stronger. He is very powerful, and hedoes not take the canoe back and forth. He is coming toward the land.Stand here, and we will welcome Daganoweda of the Ganeagaono. Itmight be some other, but I do not think it possible. It is surelyDaganoweda."
A canoe shot from the mists and vapors. The fierce young Mohawk chiefput down the paddle, and, stepping from the light craft into theshallow water, raised his hand in a proud salute. He was truly astriking figure. The dusk enlarged him until he appeared gigantic.He was naked except for belt and breech cloth, and water ran from hisshining bronze body. A tomahawk and knife in the belt were his onlyweapons, but Robert knew instinctively that one of them had beenwielded well.
"Welcome, Daganoweda," he said. "We were not looking for you, butif we had taken thought about it we might have known that you wouldcome."
The dark eyes of the Mohawk flashed and his figure seemed to grow instature.
"There has been a battle," he said, "and Sharp Sword with a greatforce is pressing hard upon the white brothers of the Ganeagaono. Itwas not possible for Daganoweda to stay away."
"That is true. You are a great chief. You scent the conflict afar, andyou always come to it. Our people could have no truer, no braver ally.The arrival of Daganoweda alone is as the coming of ten men."
The nostrils of the chief dilated. Obviously he was pleased atRobert's round and swelling sentences.
"I come in the canoe of a foe," he said. "The warrior who was in ithas gone into the lake."
"We know that. Tayoga, who is a wonder for hearing, and a stillgreater wonder at interpreting what he hears, followed your marvelousachievement and told us every step in its progress. He even knew thatit was you, and announced your coming through the mists and vapors."
"Tayoga of the clan of the Bear, of the nation Onondaga, of the greatLeague of the Hodenosaunee, is a great warrior, and the greatesttrailer in the world, even though he be so young."
Tayoga said nothing, and his face did not move, but his eyes gleamed.
"Do you come alone?" asked Robert.
"The warriors who were with me when you met us in the woods are athand," replied the chief, "and they await my signal. They have creptpast the line of Sharp Sword, though Tandakora and many men watched,and are not far away. I will call them."
He sent forth twice the harsh cry of a water fowl. There was noanswer, but he did not seem to expect any, standing at attention,every line of his figure expressing supreme confidence. The othersshared his belief.
"I hear them. They come," said Tayoga at length.
Presently a slight sound as of long, easy strokes reached them all,and in a few moments a line of dark heads appeared through the mistsand vapors. Then the Mohawks swam to land, carrying their rifles andammunition, Daganoweda's too, on their heads, and stood up in a silentand dripping line before their chief.
"It is well," said Daganoweda, looking them over with an approvingeye. "You are all here, and we fight in the next battle beside ourwhite brothers."
"A battle that you would be loath to miss and right glad we are towelcome such sturdy help," said the voice of Willet behind them. "I'lltell Captain Colden that you're here."
The young captain came at once, and welcomed Daganoweda in properdignified fashion. Blankets and food were given to the Mohawks, andthey ate and warmed themselves by the fire. They were not many, butRobert knew they were a great addition. The fiery spirit of Daganowedaalone was worth twenty men.
"I think that we'd better seek sleep now," said young Lennox toGrosvenor. "I admit one is tempted to stay awake that he may see andhear everything, but sooner or later you've got to rest."
They found a good place under one of the sheds, and, wrapped inblankets, soon sank to slumber. The day after such a momentous nightcame dark and gloomy, with the rain still dripping. A north wind hadarisen, and high waves chased one another over the lake. There wasstill much fog on the land side, and, under its cover, the French andIndians were stalking the camp, firing at every incautious head.
"Most of those bullets are French," said Tayoga, "because the warriorsare not good sharpshooters, and they are aimed well. I think thatSharp Sword has selected all the best French and Canadian marksmen andhas sent them down to the edge of the woods to harass us. As long asthe fog hangs there we may expect their bullets."
The fire of these hidden sharpshooters soon became terribly harassing.From points of vantage they sent their bullets even into the veryheart of the camp. Not a head or a shoulder, not an arm could beexposed. Three men were killed, a dozen more were wounded, and thespirit of the garrison was visibly affected. At the suggestion ofWillet, Colden selected thirty sharpshooters of his own and sent themamong the stumps to meet the French and Canadian riflemen.
Robert and Tayoga were in this band, and Willet himself led it.Daganoweda and three of his warriors who were good shots also wentalong. Black Rifle was already outside on one of his usual solitarybut fierce man-hunts. All the men as soon as they left the breastworkslay almost flat on the wet ground, and crept forward with the utmostcare. It was a service of extreme danger, none could be more so, andit was certain that not all of them would come back.
The Lords of the Wild: A Story of the Old New York Border Page 11