"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.
"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.
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.
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.