persisted in making them come to close quarters while at a disadvantage.
There were great numbers of pack horses coming and going with stores,
and many officers in gold lace and red coats were riding about directing
here and there. I can remember that I had a great interest in this
concourse of men, for up to that time I had not seen much of the world
outside of the wilderness. There was terror of the Canada indians who
had come down to our borders hunting for scalps--for these were
continually lurking near the cantane-ments to waylay the unwary. I had
got acquainted with a Hampshire borderer who had passed his life on the
Canada frontier, where he had fought indians and been captured by them.
I had seen much of indians and knew their silent forest habits when
hunting, so that I felt that when they were after human beings they
would be no mean adversaries, but I had never hunted them or they me.

I talked at great length with this Shankland, or Shanks as he was called
on account of his name and his long legs, in course of which he
explained many useful points to me concerning Ranger ways. He said they
always marched until it was quite dark before encamping--that they
always returned by a different route from that on which they went out,
and that they circled on their trail at intervals so that they might
intercept any one coming on their rear. He told me not to gather up
close to other Rangers in a fight but to keep spread out, which gave the
Enemy less mark to fire upon and also deceived them as to your own
numbers. Then also he cautioned me not to fire on the Enemy when we were
in ambush till they have approached quite near, which will put them in
greater surprise and give your own people time to rush in on them with
hatchets or cutlasses. Shanks and I had finally a great fancy for each
other and passed most of our time in company. He was a slow man in his
movements albeit he could move fast enough on occassion, and was a great
hand to take note of things happening around him. No indian was better