le promontory on which the French had built
Ticonderoga twenty years before, commanded a great sweep of the lake.
For mere foot-soldiers, without artillery or explosives, to attack these
fortifications seemed utterly preposterous.

Where Bolderwood and his companions were waiting they had an excellent
view of the fort. At sunset the garrison was paraded and one gun boomed
resonantly across the calm lake. Just before it became too dark to see
the other shore, the Americans observed a man come out of the covered
way by which the fortifications were entered and approach the shore.
There was a light canoe moored there and into this he stepped and
paddled out into the lake, evidently aiming his craft for a cove near
the scouts' position. Bolderwood and his comrades were so deeply
interested in the maneuvres of this man that Simon Halpen was for the
time forgotten.

"We'll have to take that feller in and hold him for the Colonel to talk
to," suggested one of the scouts when it became apparent that the
stranger from the fort was coming ashore near at hand. "He'll see them
boats an' suspicion something."

"We'll meet him," said Bolderwood; "but I'm reck'ning that he'll be as
glad to see the Colonel as the Colonel is ter see him. I know that
somebody was over there in the fort to find out how the land lies and
what sort o' shape them red-coats is in, an' 'twouldn't s'prise me if
this was the chap."

They all followed 'Siah down to the cove--even Enoch--and met the
stranger as he came ashore. The latter seemed in nowise troubled by
seeing so many armed men and after mooring his canoe came at once to the
group of Americans. "Friends, I presume, sirs?" he asked, glancing
keenly from man to man.

"Reckon so," admitted Bolderwood.

"Where is Colonel Allen?"

"If you don't mind waitin' with us I shouldn't be s'prised if ye see him
'fore long," declared the long-legged scout. "Wanter see him
pertic'lar?"

"I do," the stranger admitted. "You are the advance guard of our boys, I
presume?"

"Well, as you don't know us, an' we don't know you, we'd better not
discuss private matters till we're interduced, as ye might say. I
sh'dn't be astonished ter see the Colonel come along here 'most any time
now."

"Very well, sir. I am at your service," was the response, and the
newcomer walked back to the camp with them. But Enoch had gone on ahead,
remembering that the captive had been left alone for nearly half an
hour. Suddenly his v