The lad’s eyes dilated.  It was terrible; but he wanted to hear all.

“All was arranged.  The French soldiers marched in and took possession.  We marched out to the intrenched camp to join our comrades there, who, of course, had been included in the capitulation.  In the charge of the French we left our sick, who could not march.  Hardly had we gone before the Indians swarmed in in search of plunder, and finding little—­for, as you know, there was little to find—­they instantly began to murder the sick, rushing hither and thither, yelling wildly, waving scalps in their hands!”

“And the French allowed it!” exclaimed Roche, setting his teeth hard; for he had friends and comrades lying sick at the fort when he left it.

“It was done so quickly they might not have known.  One missionary was there, and rushed hither and thither seeking to stay them; but he might as well have spoken to the wild waves of the sea in a storm.  But that was not all.  In an hour or so they were clamouring and swarming all round the camp, and the French soldiers told off for our protection either could not or would not keep them out.  Montcalm, in great anxiety, came over himself seeking to restore order; but the Indians were drunk with blood, and would not listen to him.  He begged us to stave in our rum barrels, which was instantly done; but the act provoked the savages, and they pounced upon our baggage, which had been reserved to us by the terms of the treaty.  We appealed to the Marquis; but he advised us to give it up.

“‘I am doing all I can,’ he said to Colonel Monro; ’but I shall be only too happy if I can prevent a massacre!’”

“Horrible!” ejaculated the young lieutenant.  “Oh, better, far better, to have held the fort and perished in open fight than to be set upon in cold blood by those fiends!”

“Yes,” quoth Pringle sternly; “that is what we felt and said.  But it was too late then.  The Indians were all amongst us.  They were here, there, and everywhere.  They got hold of the long hair of the women and the terrified children, and drew their scalping knives and menaced them till they shrieked and cried aloud in abject terror—­”

Pringle paused; a spasm of horror shook him.  After a brief pause he recommenced in more rapid tones: 

“Why prolong the tale? it has lasted already too long.  No proper guard was provided for us.  Why I cannot tell, for the Marquis was truly horrified at what was going on.  Perhaps he thought the steps he had taken were sufficient, or that the rage of the Indians was appeased; but be that as it might, when we marched out towards Fort Edward, we had no efficient protection, and the Indians were all round us, snatching at caps and coats, and forcing the soldiers to give them rum from their canteens, every drop of which seemed to add fuel to the fire.”

“And you had no escort?”

“None of any efficacy.  Monro, our gallant Colonel, went back to the French camp to protest and petition; but while he was gone the spark kindled.