1
?Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared: The worst is
wordly loss thou canst unfold:?Sa y, is my kingdom lost??
?Shakespeare
It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North
America, that the toils and dangers of the wilderness were
to be encountered before the adverse hosts could meet. A
wide and apparently an impervious boundary of forests
severed the possessions of the hostile provinces of France
and England. The hardy colonist, and the trained
European who fought at his s ide, frequently expended
months in struggling against the rapids of the streams, or in
effecting the rugged passes of th e mountains, in quest of an
opportunity to exhibit thei r courage in a more martial
conflict. But, emulating the patience and self-denial of the
practiced native warriors, they learned to overcome every
difficulty; and it would seem that, in time, there was no
recess of the woods so dark, nor any secret place so lovely,
that it might claim exemption from the inroads of those
who had pledged their blood to satiate their vengeance, or
to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the distant
monarchs of Europe.
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Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the
intermediate frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the
cruelty and fierceness of the savage warfare of those
periods than the country which lies between the head
waters of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes.
The facilities which nature had there offered to the
march of the combatants were too obvious to be
neglected. The lengthened sheet of the Champlain
stretched from the frontiers of Canada, deep within the
borders of the neighboring province of New York,
forming a natural passage across half the distance that the
French were compelled to mast er in order to strike their
enemies. Near its southern termination, it received the
contributions of another lake, whose waters were so
limpid as to have been exclusively selected by the Jesuit
missionaries to perform the typical purification of baptism,
and to obtain for it the title of lake ?du Saint Sacrement.?
The less zealous English thought they conferred a
sufficient honor on its unsullied fountains, when they
bestowed the name of their reigni ng prince, the second of
the house of Hanover. The two united to rob the
untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of their native
right to perpetuate its original appellation of ?Horican.?*
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* As each nation of the Indians had its language or its
dialect, they usually gave different names to the same
places, though nearly all of their appellations were
descriptive of the object. Thus a literal translation of the
name of this beautiful sheet of wa ter, used by the tribe that
dwelt on its banks, would be ?The Tail of the Lake.? Lake
George, as it is vulgarly, and now, indeed, legally, called,
forms a sort of tail to Lake Champlain, when viewed on
the map. Hence, the name.
Winding its way among countless islands, and
imbedded in mountains, the ? holy lake? extended a dozen
leagues still further to the south. With the high plain that
there interposed itself to the further passage of the water,
commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted
the adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point
where, with the usual obstructions of the rapids, or rifts, as
they were then termed in the language of the country, the
river became navigable to the tide.
While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of
annoyance, the restless enterprise of the French even
attempted the distant and difficult gorges of the Alleghany,
it may easily be imagined that their proverbial acuteness
would not overlook the natural advantages of the district
we have just described. It became, emphatically, the
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bloody arena, in which most of the battles for the mastery
of the colonies were conteste d. Forts were erected at the
different points that commanded the facilities of the route,
and were taken and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory
alighted on the hostile banners. While the husbandman
shrank back from the dangerous passes, within the safer
boundaries of the more ancient se ttlements, armies larger
than those that had often dis posed of the scepters of the
mother countries, were seen to bury themselves in these
forests, whence they rarely returned but in skeleton bands,
that were haggard with care or dejected by defeat. Though
the arts of peace were unknown to this fatal region, its
forests were alive with men; its shades and glens rang with
the sounds of martial music, and the echoes of its
mountains threw back the laugh, or repeated the wanton
cry, of many a gallant and reckless youth, as he hurried by
them, in the noontide of his spirits, to slumber in a long
night of forgetfulness.
It was in this scene of str ife and bloodshed that the
incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred, during the
third year of the war which England and France last waged
for the possession of a country that neither was destined to
retain.
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The imbecility of her military leaders abroad, and the
fatal want of energy in her councils at home, had lowered
the character of Great Britain from the proud elevation on
which it had been placed by the talents and enterprise of
her former warriors and statesme n. No longer dreaded by
her enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence
of self-respect. In this mortifyi ng abasement, the colonists,
though innocent of her imbecility, and too humble to be
the agents of her blunders, were but the natural
participators. They had recentl y seen a chosen army from
that country, which, reverencing as a mother, they had
blindly believed invincible?an army led by a chief who
had been selected from a cro wd of trained warriors, for his
rare military endowments, disgracefully routed by a
handful of French and Indians, and only saved from
annihilation by the coolness and spirit of a Virginian boy,
whose riper fame has since diffused itself, with the steady
influence of moral truth, to the uttermost confines of
Christendom.* A wide frontier had been laid naked by
this unexpected disaster, and more substantial evils were
preceded by a thousand fanciful and imaginary dangers.
The alarmed colonists believed that the yells of the savages
mingled with every fitful gust of wind that issued from the
interminable forests of the west. The terrific character of
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their merciless enemies increase d immeasurably the natural
horrors of warfare. Numberle ss recent massacres were still
vivid in their recollections; nor was there any ear in the
provinces so deaf as not to have drunk in with avidity the
narrative of some fearful tale of midnight murder, in
which the natives of the forests were the principal and
barbarous actors. As the credulous and excited traveler
related the hazardous chances of the wilderness, the blood
of the timid curdled with terror, and mothers cast anxious
glances even at those children which slumbered within the
security of the largest towns. In short, the magnifying
influence of fear began to set at naught the calculations of
reason, and to render thos e who should have remembered
their manhood, the slaves of the basest passions. Even the
most confident and the stoute st hearts began to think the
issue of the contest was becomi ng doubtful; and that abject
class was hourly increasing in numbers, who thought they
foresaw all the possessions of the English crown in
America subdued by their Christian foes, or laid waste by
the inroads of their relentless allies.
* Washington, who, after uselessly admonishing the
European general of the danger into which he was
heedlessly running, saved the remnants of the British army,
on this occasion, by his decision and courage. The
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reputation earned by Washington in this battle was the
principal cause of his being selected to command the
American armies at a later day. It is a circumstance worthy
of observation, that while all America rang with his well-
merited reputation, his name does not occur in any
European account of the battle; at least the author has
searched for it without success. In this manner does the
mother country absorb even the fame, under that system
of rule.
When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort
which covered the southern termination of the portage
between the Hudson and the lakes, that Montcalm had
been seen moving up the Champlain, with an army
?numerous as the leaves on the trees,? its truth was
admitted with more of the craven reluctance of fear than
with the stern joy that a warrior should feel, in finding an
enemy within reach of his blow. The news had been
brought, toward the decline of a day in midsummer, by an
Indian runner, who also bore an urgent request from
Munro, the commander of a work on the shore of the
?holy lake,? for a speedy and powerful reinforcement. It
has already been mentioned that the distance between
these two posts was less than five leagues. The rude path,
which originally formed thei r line of communication, had
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been widened for the passage of wagons; so that the
distance which had been travel ed by the son of the forest
in two hours, might easily be effected by a detachment of
troops, with their necessary baggage, between the rising
and setting of a summer sun. The loyal servants of the
British crown had given to one of these forest-fastnesses
the name of William Henry, and to the other that of Fort
Edward, calling each after a favorite prince of the reigning
family. The veteran Scotchman just named held the first,
with a regiment of regulars and a few provincials; a force
really by far too small to make head against the formidable
power that Montcalm was le ading to the foot of his
earthen mounds. At the latt er, however, lay General
Webb, who commanded the armies of the king in the
northern provinces, with a body of more than five
thousand men. By uniting the several detachments of his
command, this officer might have arrayed nearly double
that number of combatants against the enterprising
Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his
reinforcements, with an army but little superior in
numbers.
But under the influence of their degraded fortunes,
both officers and men appeared better disposed to await
the approach of their formidable antagonists, within their
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works, than to resist the progress of their march, by
emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du
Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance.
After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little
abated, a rumor was spread through the entrenched camp,
which stretched along the margin of the Hudson, forming
a chain of outworks to the bo dy of the fort itself, that a
chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to depart,
with the dawn, for William Henry, the post at the
northern extremity of the portage. That which at first was
only rumor, soon became certainty, as orders passed from
the quarters of the commander-in-chief to the several
corps he had selected for this service, to prepare for their
speedy departure. All doubts as to the intention of Webb
now vanished, and an hour or two of hurried footsteps
and anxious faces succeeded. Th e novice in the military art
flew from point to point, retarding his own preparations
by the excess of his violent and somewhat distempered
zeal; while the more practiced veteran made his
arrangements with a deliberation that scorned every
appearance of haste; though his sober lineaments and
anxious eye sufficiently betrayed that he had no very
strong professional relish for the, as yet, untried and
dreaded warfare of the wilderness. At length the sun set in
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a flood of glory, behind the distant western hills, and as
darkness drew its veil around the secluded spot the sounds
of preparation diminished; the last light finally disappeared
from the log cabin of some offi cer; the trees cast their
deeper shadows over the mounds and the rippling stream,
and a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as that
which reigned in the vast forest by which it was
environed.
According to the orders of the preceding night, the
heavy sleep of the army was broken by the rolling of the
warning drums, whose rattling echoes were heard issuing,
on the damp morning air, out of every vista of the woods,
just as day began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall
pines of the vicinity, on the opening brightness of a soft
and cloudless eastern sky. In an instant the whole camp
was in motion; the meanest soldier arousing from his lair
to witness the departure of his comrades, and to share in
the excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple array
of the chosen band was soon completed. While the regular
and trained hirelings of the king marched with haughtiness
to the right of the line, the less pretending colonists took
their humbler position on its left , with a docility that long
practice had rendered easy. The scouts departed; strong
guards preceded and followed the lumbering vehicles that
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bore the baggage; and before the gray light of the morning
was mellowed by the rays of the sun, the main body of the
combatants wheeled into column, and left the
encampment with a show of high military bearing, that
served to drown the slumberi ng apprehensions of many a
novice, who was now about to make his first essay in
arms. While in view of their admiring comrades, the same
proud front and ordered a rray was observed, until the
notes of their fifes growing fainter in distance, the forest at
length appeared to swallow up the living mass which had
slowly entered its bosom.
The deepest sounds of the retir ing and invisible column
had ceased to be borne on th e breeze to the listeners, and
the latest straggler had already disappeared in pursuit; but
there still remained the signs of another departure, before a
log cabin of unusual size and accommodations, in front of
which those sentinels paced their rounds, who were
known to guard the person of the English general. At this
spot were gathered some half dozen horses, caparisoned in
a manner which showed that tw o, at least, were destined
to bear the persons of females, of a rank that it was not
usual to meet so far in the wilds of the country. A third
wore trappings and arms of an officer of the staff; while
the rest, from the plainness of the housings, and the
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traveling mails with which they were encumbered, were
evidently fitted for the reception of as many menials, who
were, seemingly, already wait ing the pleasure of those they
served. At a respectful distanc e from this unusual show,
were gathered divers groups of curious idlers; some
admiring the blood and bone of the high-mettled military
charger, and others gazing at the preparations, with the
dull wonder of vulgar curiosity. There was one man,
however, who, by his counte nance and actions, formed a
marked exception to those who composed the latter class
of spectators, being neither idle, nor seemingly very
ignorant.
The person of this individual was to the last degree
ungainly, without being in any particular manner
deformed. He had all the bones and joints of other men,
without any of their proporti ons. Erect, his stature
surpassed that of his fellows; though seated, he appeared
reduced within the ordinary limits of the race. The same
contrariety in his members seemed to exist throughout the
whole man. His head was large; his shoulders narrow; his
arms long and dangling; while his hands were small, if not
delicate. His legs and thig hs were thin, nearly to
emaciation, but of extraordinary length; and his knees
would have been considered tremendous, had they not
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been outdone by the broader foundations on which this
false superstructure of blended human orders was so
profanely reared. The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of
the individual only served to render his awkwardness more
conspicuous. A sky-blue coat, with short and broad skirts
and low cape, exposed a long , thin neck, and longer and
thinner legs, to the worst animadversions of the evil-
disposed. His nether garment was a yellow nankeen,
closely fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of knees
by large knots of white ribbon, a good deal sullied by use.
Clouded cotton stockings, and shoes, on one of the latter
of which was a plated spur, completed the costume of the
lower extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of which
was concealed, but, on the other hand, studiously
exhibited, through the vanity or simplicity of its owner.
From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a
soiled vest of embossed silk, heavily ornamented with
tarnished silver lace, projecte d an instrument, which, from
being seen in such martial company, might have been
easily mistaken for some mischievous and unknown
implement of war. Small as it was, this uncommon engine
had excited the curiosity of most of the Europeans in the
camp, though several of the provincials were seen to
handle it, not only without fear, but with the utmost
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familiarity. A large, civil cock ed hat, like those worn by
clergymen within the last thirty years, surmounted the
whole, furnishing dignity to a good-natured and
somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently needed
such artificial aid, to suppor t the gravity of some high and
extraordinary trust.
While the common herd stood aloof, in deference to
the quarters of Webb, the fi gure we have described stalked
into the center of the domesti cs, freely expressing his
censures or commendations on the merits of the horses, as
by chance they displeased or satisfied his judgment.
?This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home
raising, but is from foreign lands, or perhaps from the little
island itself over the blue wa ter?? he said, in a voice as
remarkable for the softness and sweetness of its tones, as
was his person for its rare proportions; ?I may speak of
these things, and be no bragga rt; for I have been down at
both havens; that which is si tuate at the mouth of Thames,
and is named after the capital of Old England, and that
which is called ?Haven?, with the addition of the word
?New?; and have seen the scows and brigantines collecting
their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward
bound to the Island of Jamaica, for the purpose of barter
and traffic in four-footed anima ls; but never before have I
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beheld a beast which verified the true scripture war-horse
like this: ?He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his
strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men. He saith
among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle
afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting? It
would seem that the stock of the horse of Israel had
descended to our own time; would it not, friend??
Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which
in truth, as it was delivered with the vigor of full and
sonorous tones, merited some sort of notice, he who had
thus sung forth the language of the holy book turned to
the silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed
himself, and found a new and more powerful subject of
admiration in the object that encountered his gaze. His
eyes fell on the still, upright, and rigid form of the ?Indian
runner,? who had borne to the camp the unwelcome
tidings of the preceding evening. Although in a state of
perfect repose, and apparently disregarding, with
characteristic stoicism, the excitement and bustle around
him, there was a sullen fierceness mingled with the quiet
of the savage, that was likely to arrest the attention of
much more experienced eyes than those which now
scanned him, in unconcealed amazement. The native bore
both the tomahawk and knife of his tribe; and yet his
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appearance was not altogether that of a warrior. On the
contrary, there was an air of neglect about his person, like
that which might have proc eeded from great and recent
exertion, which he had not yet found leisure to repair.
The colors of the war-paint had blended in dark confusion
about his fierce countenance, and rendered his swarthy
lineaments still more savage and repulsive than if art had
attempted an effect which had been thus produced by
chance. His eye, alone, which glistened like a fiery star
amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its state of native
wildness. For a single instant his searching and yet wary
glance met the wondering look of the other, and then
changing its direction, partly in cunning, and partly in
disdain, it remained fixed, as if penetrating the distant air.
It is impossible to say what unlooked-for remark this
short and silent communica tion, between two such
singular men, might have elicited from the white man, had
not his active curiosity been again drawn to other objects.
A general movement among the domestics, and a low
sound of gentle voices, announced the approach of those
whose presence alone was wanted to enable the cavalcade
to move. The simple admirer of the war-horse instantly
fell back to a low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that was
unconsciously gleaning the faded herbage of the camp
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nigh by; where, leaning with one elbow on the blanket
that concealed an apology for a saddle, he became a
spectator of the departure, while a foal was quietly making
its morning repast, on the opposite side of the same
animal.
A young man, in the dress of an officer, conducted to
their steeds two females, who, as it was apparent by their
dresses, were prepared to encounter the fatigues of a
journey in the woods. One, and she was the more juvenile
in her appearance, though both were young, permitted
glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and
bright blue eyes, to be caught , as she artlessly suffered the
morning air to blow aside th e green veil which descended
low from her beaver.
The flush which still lingered above the pines in the
western sky was not more bright nor delicate than the
bloom on her cheek; nor wa s the opening day more
cheering than the animated smile which she bestowed on
the youth, as he assisted her into the saddle. The other,
who appeared to share equally in the attention of the
young officer, concealed her charms from the gaze of the
soldiery with a care that seemed better fitted to the
experience of four or five additional years. It could be
seen, however, that her person, though molded with the
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same exquisite proportions, of which none of the graces
were lost by the traveling dress she wore, was rather fuller
and more mature than that of her companion.
No sooner were these females seated, than their
attendant sprang lightly into the saddle of the war-horse,
when the whole three bowed to Webb, who in courtesy,
awaited their parting on the threshold of his cabin and
turning their horses? heads, they proceeded at a slow
amble, followed by their train, toward the northern
entrance of the encampment. As they traversed that short
distance, not a voice was heard among them; but a slight
exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females,
as the Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly, and led
the way along the military road in her front. Though this
sudden and startling movement of the Indian produced no
sound from the other, in the surprise her veil also was
allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable
look of pity, admiration, and horror, as her dark eye
followed the easy motions of the savage. The tresses of this
lady were shining and black, like the plumage of the
raven. Her complexion was not brown, but it rather
appeared charged with the color of the rich blood, that
seemed ready to burst its bounds. And yet there was
neither coarseness nor want of shadowing in a
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countenance that was exquis itely regular, and dignified
and surpassingly beautiful. She smiled, as if in pity at her
own momentary forgetfulness, discovering by the act a
row of teeth that would have shamed the purest ivory;
when, replacing the veil, she bowed her face, and rode in
silence, like one whose though ts were abstracted from the
scene around her.
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