important, as the cannon on both sides were still
firing, and a constant rattle of musketry was going on round the fort.

Presently, they reached the point where the canoes were hauled up, and
were told off, three to a canoe.

"Follow my canoe in single file," James said. "Not a word is to be
spoken, and remember that a single splash of a paddle will bring the
redskins down upon us. Likely enough there may be canoes out upon the
lake--there are sure to be Indians in the wood."

"I don't think there's much fear, captain," Nat whispered. "There's no
tiring a redskin when he's out on the scout on his own account, but
when he's acting with the whites he's just as lazy as a hog, and, as
they must be sure the fort can't hold out many hours longer, they will
be too busy feasting, and counting the scalps they mean to take, to
think much about scouting tonight."

"We shall go very slowly. Let every man stop paddling the instant the
canoe ahead of him stops," were James's last instructions, as he
stepped into the stern of a canoe, while Nat and Jonathan took the
paddles. Edwards was to take his place in the last canoe in the line.

Without the slightest sound, the canoes paddled out into the lake, and
then made for the east shore. They were soon close to the trees, and,
slowly and noiselessly, they kept their way just outside the screen
afforded by the boughs drooping down, almost into the water. Only now
and then the slightest splash was to be heard along the line, and this
might well have been taken for the spring of a tiny fish feeding.

Several times, when he thought he heard a slight sound in the forest on
his right, Nat ceased paddling, and lay for some minutes motionless,
the canoes behind doing the same. So dark was it, that they could
scarce see the trees close beside them, while the bright flashes from
the guns from fort and batteries only seemed to make the darkness more
intense. It was upwards of an hour before James felt, from the greater
speed with which the canoe was travelling, that Nat believed that he
had got beyond the spot where any Indians were likely to be watching in
the forest.

Faster and faster the boat glided along, but the scouts were still far
from rowing their hardest. For, although the whole of the men were
accustomed to the use of the paddle, the other boats would be unable to
keep up with that driven by the practised arms of the leaders of the
file. After paddling for another hour and a hal