s with them.
Being engaged as scouts, only, they will in other respects be free from
anything like strictness. I trust that you will do what you can to make
them comfortable."

The sergeant saluted, and led the two scouts over to the tent occupied
by himself and the other non-commissioned officers, and the roars of
laughter that issued from it in the course of the evening, at the
anecdotes of the scouts, showed that the newcomers were likely to be
highly popular characters in their mess.

Chapter 13: An Abortive Attack.

Three weeks passed. James kept his men steadily at work, and even the
scouts allowed that they made great progress. Sometimes they went out
in two parties, with an officer and a scout to each, and their pouches
filled with blank cartridge. Each would do its best to surprise the
other; and, when they met, a mimic fight would take place, the men
sheltering behind trees, and firing only when they obtained a glimpse
of an adversary.

"I did not think that these pipe-clayed soldiers could have been so
spry," Nat said to James. "They have picked up wonderfully, and I
wouldn't mind going into an Indian fight with them. They are improving
with their muskets. Their shooting yesterday wasn't bad, by no means.
In three months' time, they will be as good a lot to handle as any of
the companies of scouts."

Besides the daily exercises, the company did scouting work at night,
ten men being out, by turns, in the woods bordering the lake. At one
o'clock in the morning, on the 19th of March, Nat came into the
officers' tent.

"Captain," he said, "get up. There's something afoot."

"What is it, Nat?" James asked, as he threw off his rugs.

"It's the French, at least I don't see who else it can be. It was my
turn tonight to go round and look after our sentries. When I came to
Jim Bryan, who was stationed just at the edge of the lake, I said to
him, 'Anything new, Jim?' and he says, 'Yes; seems to me as I can hear
a hammering in the woods.' I listens, and sure enough axes were going.
It may be some three miles down. The night is still, and the ice
brought the sound.

"'That's one for you, Jim,' says I. 'Them's axes sure enough.' I stands
and looks, and then a long way down the lake on the left I sees a faint
glare. They had had the sense to light the fires where we couldn't see
them; but there were the lights, sure enough. It's the French, captain,
the redskins would never have made fires like that, and i