When they reached Sh.o.r.eham, Colonel Knox had collected forty-two sledges in all. These were at once hauled across the frozen lake to the fort and the officer in charge made acquainted with the nature of the expedition.

No time was lost by the energetic Knox. The very next day he set to work selecting what cannon he thought would be required, both at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. His band of hardy adventurers, ably a.s.sisted by the little garrison of the forts, loaded these securely upon the sledges. In all there were thirteen bra.s.s and twenty-six iron cannon; eight bra.s.s and six iron mortars. Also there were twenty-three hundred pounds of lead for bullets, and a barrel of flints.

All was ready one night and as Colonel Knox desired to have nothing delay him, he gave the order to move at once.

"To-night," he said, "the ice upon the lake will bear us. To-morrow morning it may be so that we could not venture across."

[Ill.u.s.tration: NO TIME WAS LOST BY KNOX]

The oxen were being yoked and the horses harnessed to the sledges when Ezra approached his commander with a salute.

"Colonel," said he, anxiously, "would it not be well to send out an advance? The ice, even now, may not be as safe as you think."

There was something in his tone that attracted Knox's attention.

"What has made you think that?" asked he.

Ezra flushed in the light of the pine torches.

"Since the night of which I told you," said he, "I have been so anxious that my nerves and senses often play me false. It may be so now, but a while ago," and his eyes went out across the frozen stretch of water, striving to pierce the darkness that overhung it, "I thought I saw a glimmer of light out there."

"It was probably the ice throwing back the flashing of the torches,"

said Colonel Knox. "But," kindly, "if you have any doubts in the matter it would be as well to settle them at once. Suppose you take a few men and look about before we start with the guns."

"Thank you, colonel," said the lad, gratefully, "I shall do so."

He at once called together Nat, Ben Cooper, Scarlett and his brother George.

"See to your arms," he said, quietly. And as they examined the priming of rifle and pistol, he continued: "We are going to cross the lake in the most direct route. Let no one speak unless compelled to; and even then, not above a whisper."

All five left the circle of light and advanced across the ice. They had pulled heavy moccasins over their boots upon approaching the lake in the first place, in order to secure their footing upon the smooth surface; these now deadened their footfalls as they carefully made their way along.

Almost two-thirds of the distance had been traversed when Ezra suddenly paused. His outstretched hands brought the others to a halt also.

"Hark!" said Ezra, softly.

All stood motionless for a time. At length Nat Brewster whispered:

"I fancied that I heard something, but I could not make out what it was."

Here Nat felt Ezra's hand close over his arm in a powerful grip. At once he became silent and all stood bending forward, listening once more.

From some distance across the ice came a faint, rasping noise. Now and then a quicker and heavier sound reached them. It was as though blows were being struck.

"Do you understand?" breathed Ezra. "Some one is cutting through the ice! It's a trap! The sledges are to cross this way."

The sharp hissing of indrawn breaths told him that they appreciated the situation.

"That rasping, now, is made by a saw," said Scarlett, guardedly. "I can see their plan, whoever they are. And a rarely pretty one it is. They will saw, in part, a stretch of ice that we were almost sure to cross.

When we reached it, the ice would give way, and we, perhaps, but the cannon surely, would go to the bottom of the lake."

"Ready with your rifles," whispered Ezra.

Softly they stole forward. Clearer and clearer grew the sounds, and finally they were able to discern a dozen or more laboring forms in the darkness.

"Now," said Ezra, as he sank to one knee and threw his rifle forward, "fire when I give the word."

His comrades crouched beside him, their weapons leveled. And just then there came the gentle voice of Abdallah through the dimness.

"I think this will be a surprise, Jason Collyer. What do you say?"

A chuckling laugh followed this, apparently from the ferret-faced young man. And just then Ezra spoke the word, the five rifles rang out and a chorus of shrieks rang out in the stillness. There was a huddle of falling men, a scattering of others, then Ezra shouted:

"The pistols!"

Like lightning the heavy pistols were drawn; angrily they spat their messengers into the darkness in the direction of the running feet. From the direction of Ticonderoga came a swirl of moving lights. Then a score of men hurried up, Colonel Knox at their head; and their flaring torches lit up the scene.

"You were right, then," said Knox as he took in the situation at a glance. "And it was just such a trap as we would have walked into blindly."

A half hour later, the sledges, with their precious burden of guns, crossed the lake at a point higher up; and away they trailed through the wilderness, over the snow, while behind them, among the others, lay Jason Collyer and Abdallah, their darkened eyes turned up toward the starless sky.

CHAPTER XVIII

CONCLUSION

The snow was deep and the sledge teams had heavy going at first. But, after a few days, the snow began to pack, and the progress of Colonel Knox's party became more easy. There was little or no difficulty with the streams; these were frozen solid, for the winter had developed into a remarkably severe one.

However, fresh falls of snow now and then impeded their advance, and they were content to make very few miles a day; but they pushed doggedly on, nevertheless, for they knew that their burden was urgently needed at Cambridge.

It was at Fort George that Ezra and Ben Cooper left the party and rode forward to Boston bearing the news of the expedition's success.

The lads never forgot the look of triumph that swept into Washington's face as he read the dispatch. Generals Putnam and Ward and Colonel Prescott were with him at the time and he read the missive aloud to them. It ran:

"'December 17th.

"'I hope in sixteen or seventeen days to present to your Excellency a n.o.ble train of artillery, the inventory of which I have enclosed.'"

Then he read the inventory, and the boys saw the eyes of the other officers kindle.

"Now that," cried Putnam, striking the table a mighty blow, "is something like!"

"It would seem," commented General Ward, "that fortune has thought it worth while to smile upon us for once, at any rate."

"With the sh.e.l.ls and powder from the King's stores at New York and the cargo of the ordnance brig lately captured," spoke Prescott, "we now have a comparative plenty of ammunition. What is there now to hinder us from moving to the reduction of Boston?"