ed: "I don't think so. Bring some cannon up here, and you can
rake the breastwork and drive them out; or take cannon round in front,
and you can knock the breastwork to pieces in half an hour, and then you
can easily take the place by assault; but otherwise you cannot."

"Oh, I assure you, my dear sir, we can carry a place like that by an
assault easily. You provincials have no idea what British officers and
British regulars can do."

"I know what Braddock did," said Stark.

We came down the mountain and joined the rest of the Rangers. Stark went
with Clark to report to General Abercrombie. He returned and said that
Abercrombie had agreed with Clark on an attack with small arms only.

"To-morrow you'll see a sad sight. You'll see the finest army there ever
was in America killed off by the stupidity of its commanding officer.
Why couldn't poor Lord Howe have been spared two days longer, to win
everlasting renown? We talked this over as we lay on our bearskins at
Sabbath Day Point; and if he were alive, there would be no such
tomfoolery and murder."

[Sidenote: THE ARMY ADVANCES]

We lay down in the woods by the river, and slept on our arms. The sun
rose the next morning clear and bright. We received orders to advance.
We crept through the forest till we came to the open place, where the
great trees lay on the ground with their tops toward us.

About two hundred of the French were concealed in the mass of boughs,
and fired at us. We got behind trees and logs and returned their fire.

Bradstreet's batteaux men now formed on our left, Gage's light infantry
on our right, and three regiments of provincials came up behind us. We
exchanged a scattering fire with the enemy. Then we pushed into the mass
of boughs and drove the French back into their breastwork.

Colonel Haldiman and the grenadiers now came up in solid formation. We
separated and let them pass. They struggled through the trees. The
Highlanders of the Black Watch followed them; and I caught sight of
Hector, as he went by us, looking very grim and determined. I waved my
cap at him, but he was too intent on the work ahead to see me.

What a jaunty, ugly, devil-may-care set of fellows they were! Their
uniforms set off their figures to advantage. Their faces showed they
were eager for the fight. Their bayonets were fixed, for they had been
ordered to take the works by a bayonet charge. When they got through the
trees, their formation was completely broken up;