THEY INSPECT TICONDEROGA
"We shall lose a good many men. Possibly we may go through the swamp, at the ends of the breastwork."
"Where's Amos?"
We looked round and saw Amos, with his back turned toward us. He seemed deeply interested.
"What is it, Amos? What are you looking at?"
"I tell you, boys, I think this hill's about the best place for p-pigeons I ever saw. There's a good spot for a booth, and that little tree would make a fine standard for a p-pigeon p-pole."
"Hang your pigeons! You may be dead to-morrow. Look down the lake, Edmund. See the reënforcements of French regulars with their white coats rowing up Champlain. They'll be at Fort Ti in half an hour."
We were told to get ready to go back. I overheard Mr. Clark say:—
"Oh, we can take a place like that by an assault with small arms. We'll give them a taste of the bayonet. We don't need cannon."
Stark replied: "I don't think so. Bring some cannon up here, and you can rake the breastwork and drive them out; or take cannon round in front, and you can knock the breastwork to pieces in half an hour, and then you can easily take the place by assault; but otherwise you cannot."