s Colonel Willett's intention to
push on to German Flats, and there, procuring horses, ride at full speed
down the valley to General Schuyler's headquarters.

Having once got clear of the fort and its vicinity, as we believed to be
the fact, the only thing which might prove the undoing of the venture was
that the general had gone to some other section of the country, and they
would not succeed in finding him until St. Leger had accomplished his
purpose.

Well, we settled down to garrison duty, taking our turn with the squads of
from fifty to an hundred men who remained constantly on the alert to shoot
such of the enemy as might be sufficiently obliging as to show themselves,
and ready to give warning of any signs of an attack.

This last was not believed probable. The officers of the garrison argued
that neither the Indians nor the Tories could be depended upon to make a
direct assault on such a fortification as Fort Schuyler, and that all St.
Leger's efforts would be directed toward advancing his parallels until he
was sufficiently near to mine.

And yet how true is the old maxim that "it is always the unexpected which
happens!"

On the third morning after we had entered the fort Sergeant Corney and I
were on duty as sharpshooters, and, before we had been upon the walls many
moments, I called his attention to what seemed like an unusual hurrying to
and fro on the part of the enemy. It was as if they were making ready for
some important movement, and, according to my way of thinking, that could
only mean an assault, improbable as our officers believed it to be.

As a matter of course, we gave immediate information to the officer of the
day of what we fancied had been discovered, and within half an hour more
there could no longer be any doubt but that St. Leger had made up his mind
to see what might be accomplished by a direct attack.

I was disposed to make light of the matter, not believing it possible the
enemy could effect anything of importance, but lost somewhat of my
confidence on observing the grave expression on the faces of the officers.

"What is it?" I asked of Sergeant Corney. "Do they fancy for a moment
that, even though the Indians should be willing to take part in the
assault, the fort could be carried?"

"No, lad, I reckon they're not sich fools as that; but it has come to my
ears that ammunition for the cannon is runnin' mighty low, an' to repel an
attack, even though there be no danger come fr