Such were the deliberations of Joel Strides on a battle.  The Indian leaders, however, gave some of their ordinary signals, to bring their ‘young men’ more under command and, sending messengers with orders in different directions, they left the haystack, compelling Joel to accompany them.

The results of these movements were soon apparent.  The most daring of the Mohawks made their way into the rivulet, north of the buildings, and were soon at the foot of the cliff.  A little reconnoitring told them that the hole which Joel had pointed out, had not been closed since the entrance of Willoughby and his companions.  Led by their chief, the warriors stole up the ascent, and began to crawl through the same inlet which had served as an outlet to so many deserters, the previous night, accompanied by their wives and children.

The Indians in front had been ordered to occupy the attention of the garrison, while this movement was in the course of execution.  At a signal, they raised a yell, unmasked them, fired one volley, and seemed to make another rush at the works.  This was the instant chosen for the passage of the hole, and the seven leading savages effected their entrance within the stockade, with safety.  The eighth man was shot by Blodget, in the hole itself.  The body was instantly withdrawn by the legs, and all in the rear fell back under the cover of the cliff.

Willoughby now understood the character of the assault.  Stationing Joyce, with a party to command the hole, he went himself into the library, accompanied by Jamie and Blodget, using a necessary degree of caution.  Fortunately the windows were raised, and a sudden volley routed all the Indians who had taken shelter beneath the rocks.  These men, however, fled no further than the rivulet, where they rallied under cover of the bushes, keeping up a dropping fire at the windows.  For several minutes, the combat was confined to this spot; Willoughby, by often shifting from window to window along the rear of the house, getting several volleys that told, at the men under the cover.

As yet, all the loss had been on the side of the assailants, though several of the garrison, including both Willoughby and Joyce, had divers exceedingly narrow escapes.  Quite a dozen of the assailants had suffered, though only four were killed outright.  By this time, the assault had lasted an hour, and the shades of evening were closing around the place.  Daniel, the miller, had been sent by Joel to spring the mine they had prepared together, but, making the mistake usual with the uninitiated, he had hung back, to let others pass the hole first, and was consequently carried down in the crowd, within the cover of the bushes of the rivulet.