"It seems that in very truth we lacked something there."

Robert was sitting not ten feet from them and their tone being so very
critical, he could not restrain a word or two.

"Your pardon, if I interrupt," he said, "but hearing you speak in a
somewhat slighting manner of Ticonderoga I'm bound to advise you that
you're wrong, since I was there. The English and Scotch troops, with our
own Americans, showed the very greatest valor on that sad occasion.
'Twas no fault of theirs. Our defeat was due to the lack of artillery,
the very skillful arrangements of the French commander, the Marquis de
Montcalm, and the extreme courage of the French army."

The two, who seemed to be merchants or shipping men, regarded him with
interest but with no appearance of resentment because of his
interference in their conversation. Apparently the criticism that they
permitted so freely to themselves they were willing also to allow to
others.

"But you are English," said the first who had spoken, "and 'tis most
natural for you to defend the generals who are sent out from the home
country."

"I am not English. I am a native of the Province of New York, and being
a colonial like yourselves, I think we allow too little credit to the
old country in the war. I speak as one who through the force of
circumstances has been an eye witness to many of the facts. My name is
Robert Lennox, sir, and my companions are Captain Stuart Whyte and
Lieutenant John Lanham of His Majesty's twenty-two gun sloop of war
_Hawk_, now in Boston harbor."