“Halt, officer with scout!  Sergeant of the guard!  Post number three!”

Dark figures swarmed in the road ahead; a squad of men came up on the double.

“Advance officer!” rang out the summons; a torch blazed, throwing a red glare around us; a red-faced old officer in brown and scarlet walked up and took the packet of papers which I extended.

“Are you Captain Ormond?” he asked, curiously, glancing at the endorsement on my papers.

I replied that I was, and named Murphy, Elerson, and Mount as my scout.

When the soldiers standing about heard the notorious names of men already famed in ballad and story, they craned their necks to see, as my tired riflemen filed into the lines; and the staff-officer made himself exceedingly agreeable and civil, conducting us to a shelter made of balsam branches, before which a smudge was burning.

“General Arnold has despatches for you, Captain Ormond,” he said; “I am Drummond, Brigade Major; we expected you at Varick Manor on the ninth—­you wrote to your cousin, Miss Varick, from Oriskany, you know.”

A soldier came up with two headquarters lanterns which he hung on the cross-bar of the open-faced hut; another soldier brought bread and cheese, a great apple-pie, a jug of spring water, and a bottle of brandy, with the compliments of Brigadier-General Arnold, and apologies that neither cloth, glasses, nor cutlery were included in the camp baggage.

“We’re light infantry with a vengeance, Captain Ormond,” said Major Drummond, laughing; “we left at twenty-four hours’ notice!  Gad, sir! the day before we started the General hadn’t a squad under his orders; but when Schuyler called for volunteers, and his brigadiers began to raise hell at the idea of weakening the army to help Stanwix, Arnold came out of his fit of sulks on the jump!  ‘Who’ll follow me to Stanwix?’ he bawls; and, by gad, sir, the Massachusetts men fell over each other trying to sign the rolls.”

He laughed again, waving my papers in the air and slapping them down on a knapsack.

“You will doubtless wish to hand these to the General yourself,” he said, pleasantly.  “Pray, sir, do not think of standing on ceremony; I have dined, Captain.”

Mount, who had been furtively licking his lips and casting oblique glances at the bread and cheese, fell to at a nod from me.  Murphy and Elerson joined him, bolting huge mouthfuls.  I ate sparingly, having little appetite left after the sights I had seen in that lonely house on the Mohawk flats.

The gnats swarmed, but the smoke of the green-moss smudge kept them from us in a measure.  I asked Major Drummond how soon it might be convenient for General Arnold to receive me, and he sent a young ensign to headquarters, who presently returned saying that General Arnold was making the rounds and would waive ceremony and stop at our post on his return.