in the brook, or I should have died; and I used to
crawl out and drink, and go and hide myself again. And last of all
I heard English voices, and called out; and that is all I can tell
you."

They made a litter and carried the lad back to the fort, where he
lay tossing in fever for many a long day to come. It was evil news
that they had for their comrades; and it was not more cheering when
stragglers from the scouting party came back by twos and threes,
all with the same tale. The Indians were overrunning all the
forests and lakes. They had mustered around the French camp by
hundreds and thousands, and were scouring the woods everywhere,
under no sort of discipline, excited, rebellious, rapacious, yet
too useful as allies not to be humoured by those who had summoned
them to their aid.

All had horrid tales to tell of cannibal feasts, and of the savage
treatment of prisoners. Some declared they had seen French officers
and ecclesiastics striving to interfere, but that the Indians paid
no manner of heed to them.

"There was a young priest who saw them eating human flesh at their
fire, and he came up and rebuked them. I was sitting by. I had a
cord round my neck. Sweat was pouring from me, for I knew I should
be the next victim. They looked at the priest, and one young Indian
cried out in French, 'You have French taste, I have Indian; this is
good meat for me. Taste it yourself, and see if you cannot learn to
like it too!' Whereat all the rest laughed aloud. But the priest
rebuked them again, and offered money if they would give me up; and
presently they did, though rather against their will. They were
sending some prisoners to Montreal, and I was to have gone there,
too; but in the night I escaped, and as I knew something of the
forest, I have got back safe and sound."

Tales like these came pouring in as the survivors struggled back to
the fort. All were agreed that the Indians were very numerous and
very fierce, and it was said by all that the muster of the French
seemed to be very strong.

Anxiety and fear reigned throughout the fort. Fritz almost lived
upon the lake in his boat, watching for the first signs of the
enemy's approach. That a great part of it would come by water he
did not doubt. And sometimes he would leave his boat in a creek,
and climb some adjacent height, from whence he could scan the
surface of the lake, and see what was stirring there.

Roche was his companion on those excursions; and the