“What now? I see the Hunter has been on a journey.”
“I come quick from Fort Duquesne to tell of the French,” Robert burst out. Tell he did, as fast as he could talk, while several other officers drew near, and Washington’s face grew graver.
“Bright Lightning was in the fort?” he asked.
“She counted, and she heard,” Robert asserted. “She does not lie. And I saw. The French are more than one thousand. The Indians are half one thousand. The Delaware have taken up the hatchet. They march to catch Washington.”
“You have heard, gentlemen,” said Washington. “We can believe this boy. The French have received reinforcements again, and I fear are too strong for us in our condition. Peyroney, you will please to summon the officers in council of war to be held immediately in Mr. Gist’s house.” And he added, to Robert: “I thank the Hunter, and I will thank Bright Lightning. You have done good service.”
While the council was being held Robert sat with Tanacharison. The Half-King was glum.
“Washington is a good man but he gets no help,” he complained. “Assaragoa leaves him out in the woods with just a few soldiers and no food. If I could promise presents I could get him plenty of Indians, but he has no presents. He cannot expect the Indians to starve with him and be killed by the French, when Onontio is rich and gives them anything they ask. I will stay and see what happens, but the French are owning the Ohio, with big forts, and the English have nothing. Washington should have moved fast, with many men, and built a great house like I told him to do. But Assaragoa does not listen to my advice. I shall not risk losing my family without any good coming from it. If Washington has sense he will go out from here, which is close to the hills and a very poor place to fight from.”
Washington was of the same opinion; for as soon as the council broke up everybody hustled to move away.
They were going back to Great Meadows and to send to Will’s Creek for more soldiers and supplies or else march to meet the soldiers and supplies. The wagon horses had given out entirely, with sore feet. So the officers’ saddle horses and even Robert’s horse were loaded with the ammunition and the scanty camp supplies; Washington left his own baggage, the other officers did the same, when they saw; the soldiers carried what they could upon their backs, and the Long Knife men dragged the nine cannon by hand.
The weather was warm, with heavy thunder storms. Wah, how they all panted and sweat, through the rain and the heat! But in the third day they toiled across the Great Meadows, to the half-finished fort; and this was the first day of July.