Major Tremaine arrived early at the Indian camp. Langlade was there to meet him.
"I see you didn't overload yourself. I'm impressed," he said.
The Major nodded. He had not worn his bright scarlet uniform coat. Instead he had on a brown sleeveless waistcoat and his shirt and breeches though white had faded to a light gray. Not something you normally saw a British officer wearing. He had slung on his shoulders a blanket roll, haversack, and case for his notes. In his belt was a tomahawk. A cartridge box rested on his hip to complete the picture. In his right hand he carried a light infantry version of the Brown Bess, much smaller and lighter.
"Major Acland gave me some ideas," Jeffrey replied.
"Very good, Major. I think you are making a very favorable impression on the people here." He waved to two braves. "Here, stow your gear in this canoe."
The 2 braves approached and Langlade moved to talk to them. Jeffrey couldn't understand a word but he knew it had to be a set of directions. They came over to where he stood.
"Major, this is Wyandot Panther and this is Captain Billy. They will be your guide and escort. I told them if anything happens to you, not to return themselves."
"Thank you, Langlade," Jeffrey replied. "I take much comfort in that."
Wyandot Panther has to be the ugliest person Jeffrey had ever seen. A scar across his cheek gave him a permanent sneer. Jeffrey was glad he was on their side. Captain Billy was small and wiry, just the type needed for this mission.
The braves boarded the canoe and Jeffrey gave one last look around.
"You won't find her, Major. She and her family have left," Langlade said.
Jeffrey smiled. "Meet you at Crown Point, Langlade."
With that they shoved off and headed up the Richelieu.
With the Indians paddling they made good time up the river and were soon on the Lake. At any other time, Jeffrey might have relaxed to enjoy the amazing scenery. The mountains and trees seem to come right down to the water's edge. They were dark and foreboding making him guess on how one could travel on land. He began to wonder if it was like this all the way along the Lake and did the forest extend further south? It could cause huge problems.
The amount of waterfowl seemed unlimited. A day's hunting could bag 100's and it wouldn't be too hard to get more. As they moved, fish could be seen leaping from the water and splashing down, leaving bright rings behind. Jeffrey thought of how easy you could feed a number of soldiers with just fish despite the fact that most hated it. He took out his sketchpad and quickly drew the scenery. Mere words would not suffice to tell this story. Unfortunately Jeffrey didn't look at the view around him as an artist. No, he was an officer and all he saw was the immense thick forest. He took note that nowhere along here could the Army land so once upon the Lake the vast force would have to continue on Crown Point.
The entire trip was made in silence as neither of the braves spoke English and he not a word of their language. His mind began to wander in the quiet. He didn't have a chance to return to the German camp before he left so he never got a chance to see Katrina. There was something about her that intrigued him. He had been with a number of women before but outside of one he never felt like he did now. He wanted to know everything about her, to really get to know her. He was troubled by these feelings and perhaps he could use this time to make some sense of them. He also needed to clear his mind of outside distractions because the more mileage they put behind them the closer they came to the rebel army.
After two days the canoe was beached in cove north of Fort Ticonderoga. Except for a massive thunderstorm that struck the last night, the trip went quickly. Just before sundown, large dark clouds began to roll in from the West and distant peels of thunder could be heard. Jeffrey could tell that the two braves were very concerned and Wyandot Panther became very agitated. For the first time, the two had a large discourse on what to do. All the time it became darker and the wind whipped the water into whitecaps. Suddenly Billy pointed to a beach under some overhanging pines. They turned the canoe quickly towards it. The beach was really a rocky ledge that lead to what could be described as a small cave.
The men got out and grabbed their provisions. Jeffrey grabbed his gear and then hurried to find dry wood for the fire he knew they would need. As he returned with a second armful, there was a brilliant flash of light, a tremendous crash, and the sky opened up. Billy had just dragged the canoe further up the ledge and overturned it when it began. All three men took cover.
The rain was so heavy that they couldn't see three feet into the Lake yet with tree and rock cover they stayed dry all night. After the first storm past, another rolled in so it rained all night. They were unlike any storms Jeffrey had ever witnessed. The more he ventured into this wilderness the more amazed he was.
The next day was beautiful with a bright blue cloudless sky and lower temperatures. The men stowed the canoe and their supplies under cover and quickly moved inland. They crossed the Old Portage Road and plunged into the woods on the other side. Their main goal was to avoid contact at all costs but get all the information they could. As they were approaching the landing, Jeffrey noticed a large hill that rose behind the fort. He indicated that he wanted to go there and Wyandot Panther nodded in agreement.
Wyandot Panther led the way avoiding the post at Mt. Hope, which guarded the road. Jeffrey made a mental note of its location. They waded across the waterway that connected Lake George and Champlain, crossed the road again, and began to climb the mountain. The two braves had no trouble and had to pause to allow Jeffrey to stay with them. After about an hour, they reached the summit and from there, the entire layout could be seen. It was like being seated in the balcony at the theater.
Jeffrey took out his pad and began to sketch the scene. On the west side was the fort and the old French lines. In between were thousands of tents so it was clear that the bulk of the rebel army was on this side. There was a footbridge that connected the fort to the east side of the lake. There on a bluff was another structure that housed more troops. A road led off the southeast behind the smaller fort. From the number of tents, Jeffrey estimated that there were about 3,500 men in total. He stayed about two hours trying to get as much information as he could. He wished he could find out exactly what troops were at the fort, whether they were Continentals or militia but any contact could be fatal. The information was too important to jeopardize with bravado.
All the way down the mountain, Jeffrey wondered why the rebels didn't build works on the summit. Anyone could see that if you could get guns up there you could control the forts. They must have noticed this, as among the rebel officers there were some very good ones, ex-British officers. Perhaps they felt dragging a gun up there was impossible until you build a road. He knew General Phillips would have something to say about that.
Jeffrey wanted to get a closer look at the post at Mt. Hope and the old French lines so he told Wyandot Panther. The Indian shook his head. "Trop dangereux!"
"Pas pour un homme," Jeffrey replied.
"No, trop dangereux!"
"Attente ici, je seral de retour." With that he set off into the woods.
Jeffrey moved slowly as he could hear voices nearby. He stopped about 30 yards from the wooden stockade, hidden by the thick forest. The fort was in poor shape and despite its position of controlling the road; it didn't look like the rebels put any effort into maintaining it. There couldn't be more than a 100 men visible. Having seen what he needed he returned to 2 braves. As he returned, he noticed a look of relief on Wyandot Panther's face.
They moved quickly back towards the canoe. They paused at road, looking before they crossed. They heard voices coming their way as the 2 Indians ran across. Jeffrey began to cross when Billy stood up and motioned for him to stay put. Jeffrey moved back into the undergrowth.
