“Well, you see,” began Davenport, “I was livin’ up here on the Lexington road, when I hear that General Washington had planned an expedition to Canada by way of the Kennebec and the wilderness north of it, and that Colonel Arnold had been appointed to command the troops who were to undertake it.  I was preparing to join the army at Cambridge; but I thought that Arnold’s expedition would suit me better than staying in camp around Boston.  So I furnished myself with many little knick-nacks, shouldered my musket, and started off to offer my services.  They placed me in one of the companies of Major Bigelow’s battalion.  I believe there was about eleven hundred men, in all, under Arnold’s command, who marched from Cambridge to Newburyport.  There we embarked on board of eleven transports, and, on the nineteenth of September, sailed for the Kennebec.  I must confess, I didn’t like the idea of starting so late in the year, because I knew we’d meet with some of the coldest kind of weather before we reached Canada; but I had to be satisfied.  At the end of two days, we had entered the Kennebec and reached the town of Gardiner.  The only accident we had met with was the grounding of two of our transports; but we got them off without much difficulty.  I forgot to mention, however, that two hundred carpenters had been sent up the river, before we started from Cambridge, with orders to build two hundred batteaux at Pittston, opposite Gardiner.  Well, when we arrived at that place, we found the batteaux ready, and immediately transferred our baggage and provisions to them, and pushed up the river to Fort Western.  At that place our real work was to commence.  Colonel Arnold knew a great deal about the route, and he had undertaken it because he knew what he had to encounter, and how much glory he would win if he succeeded; but we men, who were to work and suffer most, knew nothing about the route; except that it was through a wilderness where few white men had set foot.  Before the army started from Fort Western, two small parties were sent forward to survey and reconnoitre the route as far as Lake Megantic and the Dead River.  Next, the army began to move in four divisions.  Morgan and his riflemen went first; next day, Green and Bigelow, with three companies; next day, Meigs, with four companies; and the next day, Colonel Enos, with the three other companies.  You see, the divisions started a day apart, so as to prevent any difficulty in passing rapids and falls.  Colonel Arnold waited to see all the troops embarked, and then passed the whole line till he overtook Morgan.  On the fourth day after our party—­that is, Green and Bigelow’s—­started from Fort Western, we arrived at Norridgewock Falls.  You may recollect, there used to be a tribe of Indians called the Norridgewocks, who had a village near these falls.  I saw the plain where the village stood, and the ruins of the church which was destroyed by Captain Moulton during the war with the tribe.  At the falls, all the batteaux had to be taken out