failed to discharge at each pull. There was a great change in the
private men of the Rangers, so many old ones had been frost bitten and
gone home. I found my friend Shanks, who had staid though he had been
badly frosted during the winter. He had such a hate of the Frenchers and
particularly of the Canada Indians that he would never cease to fight
them, they having killed all his relatives in New Hampshire which made
him bitter against them, he always saying that they might as well kill
him and thus make an end of the family.

In June I went north down Champlain with 250 Rangers and Light Infantry
in sloop-vessels.

The Rangers were .... (writing lost) .... but it made no difference. The
party was landed on the west side of the Lake near Isle au Noix and lay
five days in the bush, it raining hard all the time. I was out with a
recoinnoitering party to watch the Isle, and very early in the morning
we saw the French coming to our side in boats, whereat we acquainted
Major Rogers that the French were about to attack us. We were drawn up
in line to await their coming. The forest always concealed a Ranger
line, so that there might not have been a man within a hundred miles for
all that could be seen, and so it was that an advance party of the Enemy
walked into our line and were captured, which first appraised the French
of our position. They shortly attacked us on our left, but I was sent
with a party to make our way through a swamp in order to attack their
rear. This we accomplished so quietly that we surprized some Canada
indians who were lying back of the French line listening to a prophet
who was incanting. These we slew, and after our firing many French
grenadiers came running past, when they broke before our line. I took a
Frenchman prisoner, but he kept his bayonet pointed at me, all the time
yelling in French which I did not understand, though I had my loaded gun