know, but as for himself he could not tell whether or no the owls were
real. They might be Indians, and if so they would probably, when they
gathered sufficient force, throw themselves across the path of the
rangers and offer battle. This presence too indicated that Tayoga and
Willet might be near, because it was against just such bands that they
guarded, and once more his heart beat fast.

He opened his eyes to find that the beauty of the night had deepened, if
that were possible. The little lake was molten silver, and the forest
seemed silver too under silver skies. The moon, large and benignant,
smiled down on the earth, not meant, so Robert thought, for battle. But
the two owls were still calling to each other, and now he was convinced
that they were Indians and not owls. He was really back in the
wilderness, where there was no such thing as peace, the wilderness that
had seldom ever known peace. But believing with Rogers that the force
was too strong to be attacked he fell asleep, at last, and awoke to
another bright summer day.

They resumed the advance with great caution. Rogers did not go directly
toward the force of Amherst, but bore more toward the west, thinking it
likely that he would have to meet the force of Sir William Johnson who
was to coöperate with Prideaux in the attack on Niagara.

"Sir William has entirely recovered from the wound he received at the
Battle of Lake George," Rogers said to Robert, "and he's again taking a
big part in the war. We have Louisbourg and Duquesne, and now, if we
take Niagara and Ticonderoga and Crown Point, we can advance in great
force on Quebec and Montreal."

"So we can," said Robert, "but there are those owls again, hooting in