trying to sleep when the old man burst
in upon us with the remark I have set down, and as he spoke he began
furbishing up his rifle with unusual care.

"Have you any especial work on hand?" I asked, looking curiously at him.

"Ay, lad, that's what I have. This 'ere garrison ain't in any very great
danger of runnin' short of ammunition for the small arms, an' we're goin'
to give the enemy lead in the place of iron for a spell."

"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat petulantly, for it seemed as if the
old man was making sport of me.

"Only that we've given the enemy's sharpshooters a chance all the forenoon
without interferin' to any great extent, an' now we're countin' on takin'
our turn. Fifty men have been detailed to pick off as many of St. Leger's
force as we can draw a bead on. I reckon workin' in the trenches won't be
a healthy job from this time on. Colonel Gansevoort allows to show the
Britishers that he can stir his stumps if needs must."

The sergeant left the barracks without giving us further information; but
we soon learned that our people were to be kept sharply up to their work,
instead of being allowed to spend five hours out of every six in lounging
around.

The force of sharpshooters to which Sergeant Corney was assigned had been
stationed on the north and east sides of the fort, where they could
command a view of the British and Tory encampments and the trenches.

Another company of fifty was told off especially for the horn-works, while
we Minute Boys were ordered to keep at least ten of our number constantly
on watch over the sally-port, from which point the best view of the Indian
encampment could be had.

Yet others of the force were detailed to go from one division to another
of those I have named, in order to lend a hand in case it might become
necessary, and thus it was we no longer had any loungers on the
parade-grounds or near the barracks.

The orders were that every effort be made to pick off such of the enemy as
offered themselves for targets, and before the day had come to an end St.
Leger's men must have begun to understand that the siege of Fort Schuyler
was no longer the one-sided affair which it had been.

My lads could not have been stationed in any other position where they
would have been as well satisfied, for thus were they fighting the savages
who had threatened to ravage the Mohawk Valley, and every time we made a
successful shot it was much as if we struck a blow in