son duty
to perform, and we lounged around discussing the exciting and mysterious
events which we had witnessed, until I dare venture to say that every man
was absolutely weary with so much tongue-wagging.

Messengers had been sent on the road toward Stillwater to learn, if
possible, what had caused such a panic among the enemy, and Sergeant
Corney said to Jacob and me while we were waiting with whatsoever of
patience we could command for some definite information to be brought in:

"We must get out of this, lads, within four an' twenty hours after the
matter has been made plain, an' we know somewhat concernin' the movements
of our friends on the outside."

"How surprised the people of Cherry Valley will be when they hear all that
we can tell them!" Jacob said, as if speaking to himself.

"An' is it in your mind, lad, that we're to go back there rather than
anywhere else?"

"Where else could we go?" I asked, in surprise.

"I've been thinkin' that we might do our people at home more good by
marchin' the Minute Boys to where they could be of real service, than
goin' back to let 'em loaf 'round the settlement."

At that moment the old soldier was called away to attend to some duty,
and Jacob and I had ample food for thought as we turned over in mind what
he had said.

Before the day had come to an end we had reinforcements--when we no longer
needed them--in plenty. Company after company of soldiers marched in from
the direction of Stillwater, and through the earliest arrivals we learned
that twelve hundred men, under General Benedict Arnold, had been sent to
our relief.

To our great joy, they could give valuable information regarding the
strange behavior of St. Leger's army, and by putting together this and
that bit of news we had a fairly good solution to the puzzle before the
arrival of General Arnold, who came with a small force twenty hours behind
the main body.

And this is the story as we heard it from one source and another until
there could be no question but that we had all the facts with no
embellishments:

Colonel Willett and Lieutenant Stockwell succeeded in getting past the
several encampments without being discovered, and made their way to German
Flats. There they procured horses, and rode at full speed until arriving
at the headquarters of General Schuyler at Stillwater.

Now it must be understood that when General Washington heard the news of
the fall of Ticonderoga, he sent General Benedict