al?" interjected Justice
Powell. "Their safety is essential to your plan."

"As to Amherstburg," said Brock, "it is the pivot point, sir, and must
be retained as our base. At Sandwich we already have earthworks
completed. If destroyed by Hull they must be rebuilt, for the batteries
there must cover our crossing and cannonade the fort while we advance
upon it. I have already sent, as you know, a few additional men to
Procter--every man I can steal from here. He should be able to hold his
own at Amherstburg for a bit longer. The conditions, I admit, are far
from satisfactory under the present command, but Chambers is on his way
with forty of the 41st, one hundred militia with Merritt, and some of
Brant's braves, to put backbone into the garrison."

"General," said Justice Powell, the rays from a waning moon flooding the
hall-way as the outer door was opened by Brock for the exit of his
councillors, "having implicit confidence in your judgment and military
ability, I believe you will overthrow Hull. Assuming that you capture
old Fort Lernoult and seize Detroit, what then?"

"What then, sir?" said Brock--emphasizing his parting words with a
gesture of his hand--"why, Detroit taken, I shall return here, batter
Fort Niagara--providing Prevost consents--and then by a sudden movement
I could sweep the frontier from Buffalo to Fort Niagara and complete the
salvation of Canada by the occupation of Sackett's Harbor. Good-night,
gentlemen. _En avant_, Detroit!"

CHAPTER XVI.

"EN AVANT, DETROIT!"

Under an August moon Lake Erie shone as a shield of silver. Brock, with
a fleet of small craft, batteaux and boats of every kind given him by
the settlers, had pulled out from Long Point with 40 regulars and 260
militia for the relief of Amherstburg, two hundred miles distant.

The news of the fall of Mackinaw and the official declaration of war had
only reached him as Parliament rose. He had proclaimed martial law
before leaving York. He had also heard details of the attack by Hull's
raiders on the Moravian settlement, sixty miles up the Thames. He knew
of the repulse of 300 United States troops in three attempts to cross
the Canard River bridge for an attack on Amherstburg, and of their being
driven into the open plains, with loss, by Procter's men.

It was in one of these attacks that the first scalp in the war of 1812
was taken--not by one of Brock's terrible Indians, whose expected
excesses had been referred to by Hu