The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-05-07

trials Of these pioneers and their heroic en-
durance have not been surpassed in the
history of adventure, and strangely enough
they have had faithful chronicler. One
of the scouts was a boy named Henry, and
late in life he wrote out story of the ex-
periences of himself and comrades. They
Jared very well until they reached the
carrying place between the Kennebec and
Dead rivers AT this point the party di-
vided the weaker members remaining be-
hind, the stronger pushing on. They were
reduced to two meals day, consisting of
half biscuit and half an inch square Of
raw pork. Their only shelter from pelting
storms of rain and sleet was the foliage of
evergreens. When they had discovered
the headwaters of the Claudiere they
turned back to carry tidings to the main
column. Their food supply was down to
solitary pork ration each, and after
long search for game duck was killed
The pork and duck boiled together made
broth that furnished supper for the party
of ten; the pork bits were eaten for break
fast and the duck was parceled out, hunter
fashion, to stand between them and starva-
ton. The duck all disappeared the first
day, and on the second they travelled with
out a morsel. The next day at shutdown,
after forty-eight hours fast, moose deer
was shot, and the event was hailed as sal
walton for the furnishing and fainting men,
whose powers were fast giving way.
When Arnold learned from these scouts
that all was favorable ahead, he sent word
to the rear columns, under Greene and
Enos, to hurry forward and join him.
Enos had already turned back, carrying
the lions share of the provisions with him.
The advance nearly persisted from hunger
before reaching the French settlements,
for Arnold found the route longer and
more difficult than he had expected. At
the close of October the meat ration gave
out, and the -four, when divided up, gave
but five pints to each man. This was baked
into cakes in the ashes of the camp fires.
In desperation Arnold selected a body of
men and FASTENED on ahead to procure and
send back food He sailed rapidly down
the foaming tide of the Chaudiere and lost
three boats on the rocks at the end of a
twenty mile run. With six men and two
boats he pressed on, and on Oct. 80 sighted
the first house. Without loss of time he sent
back beeves and flour to the soldiers actu-
ally furnishing, but still heroically strug-
Cling forward. After Arnold left camp
two pet dogs were slaughtered, and their
flesh and the broth made by boiling their
bones were eagerly devoured. Roots dug
out of the sand were eaten raw, and
breeches and moccasins of deerskin and
moose hide were boiled to make broth, and
also charred on the Goals and then eaten.
OF course all human nature could not hold
out under this. Men thought that death
.r,, Il hiv,l- Inn p,
the struggle In such cases death came in
a few minutes.
Arnolds supply of provisions reached the
column in the nick of time. With them
came caution to the head detachments to
partake sparingly and send something to
those in the rear. The French people along
the river supplied the wants of the soldiers
without stint, and a halt was made at Ser
tigan to close up the ranks and prepare for
an orderly advance. During the last few
days in the wilderness the men had been
permitted to travel at will, with the under
standing that all should assemble at the
French settlements. On Nov. the troops
began to straggle into the advance camp,
and by the Sth the companies and battaf
ions had been reorganized. There were still
seventy-five miles to make before reaching
Quebec, yet on Nov. Is Arnold had his COM
mand on the banks Of the St. Lawrence,
opposite the city, His troops numbered in
effective men about $50. The English,
warned by the traitorous messenger who
had been sent from the wilderness to COM
municate with friends of the patriots, had
burned all the boats on the American side,
| and Arnold had to gather canoes from the
surrounding country to ferry his soldiers
across.
On the night of the 18th the leader and
500 men eluded the British sentinel vessels
stationed in the river and landed at Wolfe's
cove. From there they assembled to the
plains of Abraham, and stood before the
| frowning walls of the castle which sheltered
the garrison. Re-enforcements had hurried
| to the defense of the city, and Arnold was
confronted by odds of three TO one. Be
sides he had no artillery, and his men were
| poorly clad for that rigorous climate and
| wholly at disadvantage. But the patriots
knew to the last man what they had gone