A nephew of the old man, a youth of sixteen remained beside his horse in sight of the conflict in the woods 800 yards north of the road. Another young man lay concealed in the roof of a barn. He said he counted over twelve hundred Fenians pass the barn. All else had left the previous day. At the farm house of Mr. Stoneman, half way between Henry Angur’s and J. N. Angur’s (that name being German is pronounced Anker) I spoke to three small boys a few days after the fight, the hottest of which had been in their orchard, and in fields adjoining. They were aged about eleven, nine, and seven. “Where were you little boys, the time of the battle?” “Back in the woods, over yonder.” (pointing north). “How far?” “Back ever so far—six mile” “Did you go soon in the morning?” “No, day before.” “How did you know the day before that Fenians were coming this way?” “A man came along from the Ferry, telling all around here to clear.” “Did you carry provisions with you?” “Some, not much.” “Where did you stay all Friday night?” “Slept in the woods?” “Were you frightened?” “Yes, I think so; you’d have been frightened too.” “You have fancy pigeons in that cage; did you take them to the woods?” “No, they hung just there all the time.” “And the Fenians did not take them?” “They took fowls, and then throwed fowls away; pigeons were no use to them, but they were near being shot; you can see where bullets went through boards of the house—up there, and here, and there again, and the trees in the orchard are scored all over with bullets.” Up to this point the narrative has followed the track of the Fenians. Let us now turn to the prompt mustering of forces, the patriotic, the impassioned attitude of defiance, the gallant rush to the frontier, to repulse from Canadian soil, this unrighteous army of intruders, who by no law recognized on earth or in heaven was justified in its invasion of Canada. CHAPTER VI. _Words of warning in 1862, and 1863, from Colonel Lysons, Quarter-master General of Her Majesty’s Forces in Canada. Olden signals of War. The alarm on June 1st, 1866. The quick response. Give us arms, lead on. Conflicting telegrams on 1st of June. The cry is still they come. Sons of Canada, come home to fight for mothers and mother land. Americans at Oil Springs enrol for defence of Canada. Home Guards organized. The cry is still they come. Volunteers for the field. How are they equipped? The Queen’s Own. Tenth Royals. York and Caledonia Rifles. Hamilton Field Battery. Welland Field Battery. Hamilton Thirteenth. All defective in equipments. “Authorities” in a lethargy. Enemy “thundering at the door.” Courage of the people. Little else ready._