In this extremity Captain Little sent a messenger to General Lyman, imploring instant aid.  He failed to obtain it.  The over-cautious commander, filled with the idea that the whole French and Indian army was at hand, drew in his outposts with nervous haste, shut the gates of the fort, and left the little band to its fate.

Fortunately, the volleys of musketry had reached the ears of Major Putnam, on his island outpost.  Immediately afterwards his scouts brought him word that Captain Little was surrounded by Indians, and in imminent danger of destruction.  Without an instant’s hesitation the brave Putnam plunged into the water, shouting to his men to follow him, and waded to the shore.  This reached, they dashed hastily towards the scene of the contest.  Their route led them past the walls of the fort, on whose parapets stood the alarmed commander.

“Halt!” cried General Lyman.  “Come into the fort.  The enemy is in overwhelming force.  We can spare no more men.”

To these words, or similar ones, spoken by General Lyman, Putnam returned a vague reply, intended for an apology, but having more the tone of a defiance.  Discipline and military authority must stand aside when brave men were struggling with ruthless savages.  Without waiting to hear the general’s response to his apology, the gallant partisan dashed on, and in a minute or two more had joined the party of regulars, who were holding their ground with difficulty.

“On them!” cried Putnam.  “They will shoot us down here!  Forward!  We must rout them out from their ambush!”

His words found a responsive echo in every heart.  With loud shouts the whole party charged impetuously into the morass, and in a minute were face to face with the concealed savages.  This sudden onslaught threw the Indians into a panic.  They broke and fled in every direction, hotly pursued by their revengeful foes, numbers of them being killed in the flight.  The chase was not given up until it had extended miles into the forest.

Triumphantly then the victors returned to the fort, Putnam alone among them expecting reprimand.  He had never before disobeyed the orders of his superior.  He well knew the rigidity of military discipline and its necessity.  Possibly General Lyman might not be content with a simple reprimand, but might order a court-martial.  Putnam entered the fort, not fully at ease in his mind.

As it proved, he had no occasion for anxiety.  The general recognized that alarm had led him too far.  He welcomed the whole party with hearty commendation, and chose quite to forget the fact that Major Putnam was guilty of a flagrant disregard of orders, in view of the fact, of more immediate importance to himself, that his daring subaltern had saved him from public reprobation for exposing a brave party to destruction.