and two more
were wounded. Robert saw the Frenchmen in the fleet encouraging the
Indians, and he knew that their enemies were firing at the smoke made by
the rifles of the defenders. Although he and his comrades were invisible to
the French and Indians in the fleet, the bullets sought them out
nevertheless. Wounds were increasing and another of the rangers was killed.
Theirs was quickly becoming an extremely hot corner.

But Willet, who commanded at that point, gave no order to retreat. He and
all of his men continued to fire as fast as they could reload and take aim.
Yet to choose a target became more difficult, as the firing from the fleet
made a great cloud of smoke about it, in which the French and Indians were
hidden, or, at best, were but wavering phantoms. Robert's excited
imagination magnified them fivefold, but he had no thought of shirking the
battle, and he crept to the very brink, seeking something at which to fire
in the clouds of smoke that were steadily growing larger and blacker.

The foes upon the lake fought mostly in silence, save for the crackle of
their rifles, but Robert became conscious presently of a great shouting
behind him. In his concentration upon their own combat he had forgotten the
main battle; but now he realized that it was being pressed with great fury
and upon a half circle from the north and west. He looked back and saw that
the forest was filled with smoke pierced by innumerable red flashes; the
rattle of the rifles there made a continuous crash, and then he heard a
tremendous report, followed by a shout of dismay from the rangers.

"What is it?" he cried. "What is it?"

Willet, who was crouched near him, turned pale, but he replied in a steady
voice.

"St. Luc has brought a field piece, a twelve-pounder, I think, and they've
opened fire with grape-shot. They'll sweep the whole forest. Who'd have
thought it?"

The battle sank for a moment, and then a tremendous yell of triumph came
from the Indians. Presently, the cannon crashed again, and its deadly
charge of grape took heavy toll of the rangers. Then the lake and the
mountains gave back the heavy boom of the gun in many echoes, and it was
like the toll of doom. The Indians on both water and shore began to shout
in the utmost fury, and Robert detected the note of triumph in the
tremendous volume of sound. His heart went down like lead. Rogers crept
back to Willet and the two talked together earnestly.

"The cannon changes ev