ing to sarcumstances."

This manoeuvre was carried out. They started as soon as it became dark,
and, after paddling along the eastern shore for nearly three hours,
struck out into the wide lake till they approached the opposite shore,
and then, heading south again, paddled boldly down towards the spot
where, at the end of a sweep of land, which seemed to close in the
lake, stood the French fort of Crown Point.

Before starting, the two scouts had stripped to the waist, had laid
aside their caps, and, fastening a strip of leather round their heads,
had stuck some feathers into it. They then painted their faces and
bodies.

"You needn't be particular about the flourishes, Jonathan. It's only
the redskin outline as one wants to get. If we run against any other
canoes coming up the lake, or they get sight of us as we near the
shore; so as we look something like redskins, that's near enough. Of
course, we can both speak Mohawk well enough to pass muster, and the
captain will lay himself down in the bottom.

"Captain, you will do well enough for a Canadian when we have once
landed. There ain't much difference between a hunter one side of the
frontier and the other, but it's as well that you shouldn't be seen
till we land. The less questions asked, the better. Our Mohawk's good
enough with any of the other tribes, but it wouldn't pass with a
Mohawk, if we got into a long talk with him."

Fortunately, however, these precautions proved unnecessary. No other
canoes were seen on the lake, and they landed, unnoticed, at a spot a
mile and a half to the west of Crown Point. Before starting from Fort
William Henry, James had laid aside his uniform, and had dressed
himself in hunting shirt and leggings, similar to those worn by the
scouts. He had adopted various little details, in which the Canadian
hunters differed from those on the English side of the frontier. The
latter wore their hunting shirts loose in Indian fashion, while the
Canadians generally wore a leathern belt outside theirs, at the waist.

His cap was made of squirrels' skins, which would pass equally well on
both sides of the frontier. The fire bag, in which tobacco, tinder, and
other small matters were carried, was of Indian workmanship, as was the
cord of his powder horn and bullet pouch. Altogether, his get-up was
somewhat brighter and more picturesque than that of English scouts,
who, as a rule, despised anything approaching to ornament.

He knew that by dis