The Coolidge examiner., 1933-07-21

began 10 throw il out and soon dis
covered that II crumbled and
| packed under his weight until he
had a firm footing and comfortable
accommodations for his stature in
side the shell. Opposite his eyes,
with his knife, he made two holes
like those of a woodpecker, fronting
both channels. This little timber
tower, with its diminutive windows,
offered an ideal opportunity 10 view
the passing of BurgOyne's army.
For two days, from dark to dark,
he sat many hours in a treetop like
a bird. looking northward for signs
of the coming caravan. Soon after
sunrise on the third day he saw a
new island with silvered edges and
white towers in the distance. he
watched 1t through his glass,
thrilled by the thought that In the
great procession moving toward him
was fragment Of mortality which
had filed his later life with In
| spiration. Vast beyond his expec-
tation was that endless fotilla
streaming down out of the north
on the smooth, wide water alley be-
tween high mountain ridges. Its
| length waved backward into dim,
misty reaches OF the lower lake.
When IL had come within a mile or
so Of his island. Colin went to his
station In the hollow stub.
Before the front OF the long pro-
cession was abreast he heard a
band playing merry music. The
fiotilla was led by painted Indians
In canoes. Soon he saw the first
rank of the immense batteaux. each
about forty feet in length and some
seven feet wide, and each worked
by four men-head and stem men
and middle men.
Through the long summer day
Colin stood in his wooden tower
counting and making notes. II was
trying day. with only a moment
of anxiety when a soldier amused
himself by shooting at the peek-hole
in the tower. Fortunately, Colin had
seen his purpose and stopped in
time, or that shell OF hemlook would
have been his tomb. Only a bit Of
dust fell on his head. He waited
few minutes before resuming his
work. The sun was low when the
last rank OF bateaux In the vast
caravan passed him. Its many voices
grew dim In the distance as the
light of that long day faded into
gloom. He had counted nearly
eight hundred of them and had a
fairly correct estimate of the fight,
ing men-eight thousand. lie won
dered at the number of women and
! children. There were some twelve
hundred of them and more than a
hundred musicians.
Night was falling. Stiff and sore
he came out of his hiding place,
hauled his boat into the water and
put his strength on the oars He
/ thought of Pat and the ladies with
/ her and of the unexpected perils
and hardships ahead of them
swamps, log -strewn forests briers.
black flies, mosquitoes, savages,
some of whom would surely be in
/ fected with smallpox. He was op
posite the center of the long flotilla
when he reached Aliens point at
! nine o'clock. In the missionary s
! house he wrote a report TO Gen
eral Washington and half an hour
later was in his saddle hurrying
southwark. In the morning be
mounted a fresh horse at q farm.
arranging for his own to be
sent on to Bennington. That night
/ he arrived at Stark's headquarters
and within ten minutes a mounted
courier was on the south road with
Collins dispatch.
After few days training with
General Stark he received an order
from the Commander in Chief to go
to Fort Ticonderoga and report as
soon as possible on the plans Of the
British. On his journey he spent a
night at SkenesbOrough, where he
found a force of Americans. He
learned that Burgoyne's army was
advancing to invest the fort. There
he met the scout Israel Sapp, who
told him that Mrs. Bowlby had sent
her children to a friend in Albany
and was earning big wages driving
an OK team for the enemy. Was il
her interest in romance which had
taken her to the British camp? The
inn was closed and Sergeant Sapp
had found accommodation in the
house of a one-armed mill-hand of
the name of King. Colin spent the
night there. While he sat at the
breakfast table next morning there
came an abrupt change in the stu
alton.
HAS st. Clair fortified Sugar
hill?" he asked.
No" Sap answered. Not men
enough there to do it."
Then Ticonderoga will fall. The
hill commands the fort"
Congress has not proyisioned II