had a sound sleep.

The next day we marched as far as Long Island, and camped there that
night.

At sunrise one of our Indians brought word that a large herd of deer was
on the lake near the west side.

[Sidenote: A HERD OF DEER]

McKinstry, Martin, Amos, and I got leave to go after them with some
other Rangers and Indians. Amos started with us too.

"This is f-fun, Ben. A whole herd of d-deer waiting to be knocked over.
Oh, my feet!"

He limped along, and the sweat stood out on his face. "It's no use, Ben.
I can't do it. I call that t-tough luck--to be cheated out of the best
chance for hunting I ever had. Good-by."

He felt as bad over it as a boy of twelve would to lose Thanksgiving
dinner.

We divided into two parties. A half a dozen Indians walked up the lake
beyond the deer, so as to drive them toward us; and the rest of us went
to the west side of the lake and up into the woods, till we were hidden
from the lake.

We walked along on a path that was near the shore of the lake, till we
were opposite the deer, and the Indians were already in a line on the
further side of them.

"Now, boys," said McKinstry, "spread out, so that they can't run to the
shore, and in this going we ought to get them all."

We went down on the ice and drove them toward the Indians and then
formed a circle around them.

As we had rackets on, and the snow was deep, we could outrun the deer,
and we killed the whole herd--twelve in all. Most of us shot our deer,
but the Indians ran alongside of them and killed their deer with their
hunting-knives.

"No more salt beef for us for a week or so," said McKinstry. "I've been
longing for a bit of venison."

We cut up our deer, and making some rude sleds out of bark, placed our
venison on them, and soon overtook the rest of our party, for they moved
slowly.

Rogers had sent word to Fort Edward that many of the men were
frost-bitten and unable to walk; and one hundred men with a number of
Indian sleds were sent to us and met us on the lake. Amos got on one of
these sleds, and we marched back to Fort Edward.

CHAPTER XV

CAMP DISCIPLINE--AMHERST'S ANGELS--A BRUSH WITH THE FRENCH, AND THE LOSS
OF CAPTAIN JACOB

In the spring the provincial troops began to meet at Albany. Some of our
officers had been recruiting during the winter, and they returned with
their men.

John Stark had gone home in the fall to get married, and he brought back
one hundred men whom he had enlis