e, and Sergeant Corney said to me, as if he had a written programme
of the entire proceedings:

"To-morrow we will have redcoats in plenty at which to shoot."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, in surprise.

"I'll eat my head if Barry St. Leger hasn't called Thayendanega's gang
together with the idea of stiffenin' their backs so they'll be willin' to
make an assault. The regulars have been gettin' mighty uneasy these two
days, an' somethin' has got to be done, different from ditch-diggin', to
keep 'em in good spirits."

"Won't Cox fight if he gets another show at the beauties who came so near
killing him at the stake!" I cried, giving words to the first thought
which entered my mind.

"He won't get the chance. The assault will be made before to-morrow night,
an' never a feather can be seen."

"Why are you so positive about that?"

"They've much the same as told us. If we hadn't got 'em cowed by sendin' a
bullet their way whenever one of the sneaks showed his nose, they'd been
cavortin' 'round here this week past tryin' to make it lively for us. I
tell you, Noel, we can count the painted murderers out of the game from
this on."

"I hope you may be right," I said, with a long-drawn sigh, "for if St.
Leger has lost as many of his army as Thayendanega's crowd represents, it
won't be such a desperate venture to cut our way through his lines when
we've eaten the last ration."

"Don't stop believin' that General Schuyler will contrive to give us a
lift. I'm countin' that he's lookin' after the matter now," the sergeant
replied, and then he walked away whistling softly, as if the thought of
taking part against another assault pleased him mightily.

Before morning came I understood that Sergeant Corney was not the only one
in the garrison who believed the enemy would soon show unusual signs of
life.

The howling and yelling of the savages at the powwow continued until near
to midnight, and the noise had hardly more than died away when the
commandant came to where I was stationed, halting a moment to gaze in the
direction of the Indian camp before he asked:

"Have you seen any targets in this direction lately?"

"It has been a good many days since any of the crew gave us a chance to
show what we could do with a bullet, sir."

"How long are you on duty to-night?"

"Until morning, sir. Jacob Sitz and I have thought best to stay with the
sentinels of our company during all the hours of darkness. We catch a
cat-nap n