14 A Sudden Encounter

The entire army landed the next day, and our general prepared for a speedy assault on the fortress. At least he issued orders to that purpose, for General Abercrombie himself did not appear at the front. It was said that he was remaining further back in order that he might have a better opportunity to observe the movements of all the divisions of the army. I had always thought that a good general would be in the van. But I was inexperienced, and began to see how much I had to learn before I could truthfully say I knew the military art.

Our colonel selected me to lead a small party of skirmishers. My bit of experience in the woods with Culverhouse and Zeb Crane had won me the honor, and I was much gratified when I set forward with my half dozen men. We entered the forest, and began to make our way with as little noise as we could toward Ticonderoga.

“Say, leftenant, you don’t want to go a-scoutin’ without me, do you?”

I looked around and saw that Will-o’-the-wisp, Zeb Crane, and glad enough I was to have him with us on the dangerous business we were about to undertake.

“I’ve got pretty good eyes, leftenant, an’ know a bit about the woods,” he said, “an’ don’t you forget that the Frenchers are watchin’ up there. The army’s been landed now a good while, an’ Montcalm knows everythin’ that’s been done.”

“But what good,” said I, “can it do him? We have five men to his one, and half of his force are irregulars. We have a splendid army, and he has a rabble.”

“I ain’t doin’ any talkin’ on that p’int,” said Zeb phlegmatically. “I’ve come along to go a-scoutin’ with you, an’ when I go a-scoutin’ I go a-scoutin’.”

We were now in the deep woods, and the time for talk had ceased, for in the presence of such an enemy as we had to face noise was a crime. Before starting upon the expedition I had discarded my officer’s uniform, and donned the green of a New England ranger. My men were clad similarly. Thus we were of the color of the young foliage of the forest, and offered no bright mark for observation and for rifle shots.

I was anxious to get a glimpse of our enemy. So far, save for the lone Indian in the boat, I had seen neither red face nor white. But as we were making our way toward Ticonderoga, it was not likely that we would remain unrewarded long. We pushed on nearly half a mile, and then, prompted by Zeb’s warning whisper, we stopped awhile in some dense undergrowth. He suggested that we would better advance now in Indian fashion.

I took him at his word, and ordered the men to scatter about in the undergrowth and crawl toward Ticonderoga. We were to reassemble in an hour beside a large bowlder near by. Zeb slipped into a thicket and disappeared as noiselessly as a snake. My men spread out to the right and to the left, while I went straight forward, stooping over and stepping with great care.

It is not an altogether easy or reassuring thing to creep up on an enemy whom you know to be vigilant by nature, and consequently I used my eyes and my ears to their fullest extent. Every time I advanced a dozen feet or so I stopped to listen and to look. Then I would resume my advance.

I must say, though disclaiming any attempt at boasting, that I felt a thrill of gratification as well as excitement The suspense of the moment and the importance of the coming events excited me and aroused within me such an intense desire to distinguish myself that I thought little just then of possible wounds or death. I felt an exhilaration which was wholly absent when I was preparing for the duel with Spencer.

I came presently to a little knoll, from which I could get a good view of the ridge in front of Ticonderoga, where we had been told a French force lay. The woods were dense at that point, but there was a rift in the trees through which I could see the ridge very well.

I dropped down on my knees behind one of the trees and tried to catch some evidence of life on the ridge. But I could see no living creature. Once there was a flash of light like a ray of the sun glancing off the gleaming surface of a bayonet, but I was not sure that such was the cause, and the rift in the foliage was not wide enough to permit further examination.

While I still looked I heard a slight noise in the bushes ahead of me. It might have been made by a lizard or a bird, but since our adventure with the Hurons I had learned to suspect everything in these woods. I sank lower and hugged the tree. Then I was rewarded for my caution. I heard the crumpling of the leaves and grass again, and I believed that some one was coming. I took a peep around the tree, but saw nothing. The noise had ceased suddenly. I withdrew my head and listened again.

I heard a soft crush as of a footstep, and then a faint trembling of the air, as of some one breathing very near me. I moved quickly, and the stock of my gun rattled lightly against a stone. I drew up my gun in an instant and shrank against the tree. I still heard the restrained breathing so near to me. Some one was on the other side of the tree! Whoever it was, it was certainly an enemy, and I was sure that he was aware of my presence. If I could hear him he could hear me!

The tree was large, perhaps three feet in diameter, and I could see nothing of the person on the other side. It was an absurd and yet a dangerous situation. I could not look around the tree to see who was there, for if I dared to do so I would probably receive a bullet or a tomahawk in my brain, and that would be an end to my fine military career. I could not withdraw, for then I would suffer a similar exposure. So for a time I lay quite still and listened to the breathing of the stranger, as I have no doubt he was listening to mine.

I waited quite awhile for the man to make a movement, but he made none. The affair was bound to end somehow, so I began to creep around the tree, thinking that perhaps I might be able to seize my enemy at a disadvantage. But as I crept around I heard him creeping also.

Whether he was trying to escape me or to seize me I could not tell, but his movements kept pace with mine, and by and by I found myself on the Ticonderoga side of the tree, while my enemy was on the side facing our camp, and neither of us had been able to catch even the most fleeting glimpse of the other.

This added another disagreeable feature to the situation. Any of the skirmishers of the enemy coming from the direction of Ticonderoga would be almost sure to see me. I must get back on my own side of the tree. Doubtless the stranger would be as willing as I to make the exchange, for he was exposed in the same manner that I was.

I began to creep back, and the man, whoever he was, immediately did the same. In two minutes I was back in my first position, and the tree was still between me and mine enemy. I had not so much as seen a tip of his finger or a hair of his head.

Despite my peril, I was tempted to laugh. Were we to spend an entire day there revolving around a tree trunk and preserving the same distance between us all the while? I was convinced that my antagonist, or rather partner, in this matter was an Indian warrior, and I feared that his forest cunning would speedily enable him to devise some scheme for my taking off. I believed that I must forestall him if I expected to see another sundown.

When I put on the forest garb I had laid aside my sword and taken in its place a knife, after the hunter fashion. I leaned my rifle against the tree, for it would be impossible for me to use that weapon at such close quarters, and drew the knife. My mind was quite made up to risk all in a sudden movement.

Having steadied my nerves, I rushed around to the opposite side of the tree and came into violent contact with a heavy body that was coming at a considerable rate of speed in my direction. I was thrown down, but retained my grasp on my knife, and leaped lightly to my feet, facing my antagonist.

My eyes met those of an alert, handsome young Frenchman, who was clad very much as I was, in dark-green hunting costume. He held in his hand a small rapier. We were so close together that we might have struck down each other with simultaneous blows, but something, I know not what, made me hold my hand. Perhaps the Frenchman held his for the same unknown reason.

He was not older than I, and doubtless had seen no more of war. At least, that was my first impression. It would have been an easy enough matter for me to plunge my knife in his breast, and probably it was my duty as a soldier to do so. But nothing was further from my desire. On the contrary, he looked like a man whose life I would much rather save than take. There was a dubious, but on the whole friendly, look in his eye. I did not know what to do. I was no less sorely puzzled than I was when the tree was between us. I looked him straight in the eyes. He held his rapier ready as if for a thrust, but he smiled. Then I blurted out:

“If you will retreat, I will!”

I do not know why I said it, and I fear much it was unmilitary, but I have never been sorry that I said it. I dare say he did not understand a word of English, but he took in my meaning. He stepped back from me, and I began to withdraw in the other direction. When a dozen paces separated us, he gave me a fine military salute with his rapier, bowed very low, and disappeared in the woods toward Ticonderoga.

I never saw him again, but I know he was a gallant gentleman.

I had found the enemy, though not in the precise manner and with the results that I had expected. But I had found him. That fact was obvious. Therefore I veered off to the right in the direction in which Zeb Crane had gone, hoping to fall in with him. My hope was fulfilled, for when I had gone twenty yards he came out of the bushes and greeted me. “Have you found the French?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“How many?” he asked.

“I do not know,” I replied, telling the thing that was not with a whole conscience. “It was merely a stray glimpse of their uniforms, and then they disappeared in the woods. I do not think they saw me.”

“Must have been the same force that I sighted,” said Zeb musingly. “There’s a strong party of French not two hundred yards from us. I guess they’re on the same business that we are, scoutin’, only there’s a lot more of ’em.”

I thought it wise to fall back, in view of this disclosure, but I did not feel like saying so, inasmuch as I was an officer and also the commander of the scouting party. But this was a dilemma which was very quickly decided for me. We heard a rifle shot a hundred yards ahead, immediately followed by another much nearer. There was a heavy trampling in the undergrowth, and Porley, one of my men, ran up. His left hand was bleeding.

“A Frenchman fired at me, leftenant,” he said, “and his bullet gave me this scrape across the hand. I returned the shot. We’ve stirred ’em up at last, for a whole swarm of French are coming down on us.”

“I guess we’d better fall back,” suggested Zeb, “as they’re likely to be too many for us. ’Pears to me the battle for Fort Ticonderoga has begun.”

We retreated rapidly to the place designated as the point for reassembling, and in a few moments all my men were there with me.

The ground was suitable for defense, and I was disinclined to fall back farther, especially as the sound of firing was likely to bring us re-enforcements. We hid ourselves behind trees and stones, and there was not any time to waste either, for just as the last man secured shelter a volley from at least twenty rifles was fired at us, and the bullets made a pretty whistling over our heads.

Our assailants were a strong band of French, and they were coming on most zealously until they received our return fire, when their enthusiasm was much dashed. Then they too sought cover, and for a few minutes there was some very fine and stirring skirmishing. The rifles kept up a rattling pop! pop! and one of my men went down. The enemy outnumbered us so greatly that we would have been driven back, but we heard a cheer behind us, and a squad of redcoats, led by an officer in brilliant uniform, dashed to our rescue.

“Charge them, men!” cried the officer. “Drive them into the fort!”

The men rushed boldly forward. The French received them with a desultory volley and retired. I had joined in the charge, and was near the officer when I saw him stop, look around in a bewildered way, and then fall in a soft lump to the earth. I seized him and lifted him up, but I knew that he was very badly wounded.

All the men stopped and seemed to be overwhelmed by the disaster. Then I saw his face, and recognized the gallant young Lord Howe, the well-deserved favorite of the army.

We lifted him in our arms and carried him back toward our lines. But long before we reached them it became apparent that he had received his death wound.

“Oh, cursed ambition!” he murmured, as if to himself, “to have brought me so soon to this!”

Soon afterward he died.

I was learning very early the cost of war and glory.

But amid the bustle of the preparations for taking Ticonderoga there was little time to mourn. Three days after the embarkation on Lake George we moved forward for the great task.

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