He sent up and down the river to get boats, either by purchase or by force, but only succeeded in getting a very few. He had to cross and recross three times before he landed his little party on the opposite side. The night was squally. The wind blew in fearful gusts, and often the frail boats were in danger of being wrecked. Allen cheered his men and promised them a glorious victory. It was sunrise before all had crossed, and then the little party awaited the signal from Maj. Brown. An hour passed and no signal was heard. Half an hour more, and then Allen knew that Brown had not crossed. His position was critical. He would have retreated had it been possible, but he would be seen by the enemy, and a fire opened on the canoes would speedily sink them. "Men, we are lost. Brown has failed to cross the river. If we could retreat we would, but that would mean death without glory. We must stand our ground and die with glory. Our country must never say we were cowards." There was a suppressed cheer, and Allen knew that his few men were ready to make a determined stand. Very soon they were to be put to the test. The gates of the city were opened and a body of red-coated British regulars was seen to emerge; after them came two hundred Canadians, and an equal number of Indians. The Americans saw they were outnumbered five to one. "We will resist to the death!" Allen said to one of his officers, and the men heard the words and got ready to fight like brave heroes. Although the British outnumbered the Americans five to one, they acted with the greatest caution, sheltering themselves behind woodpiles, houses and in ditches. Allen's men returned the fire with vigor, and for two hours prevented the enemy from emerging into the open. The British regulars began to be irritated at the stubborn resistance of the few Americans, and made a move which Allen knew was to be an attempt to flank him. He called Capt. Lossier and bade him take fifty men and advance to the right and post himself in an advantageous ditch and to maintain his position there. Lossier and his men advanced, but as soon as they came in sight of the redcoats they made a wild rush for the woods and scattered in all directions. To make Allen's position worse, a small detachment on the left, under the command of Lieut. Young, a Canadian volunteer, also broke rank and fled, giving the enemy a chance to take up several strong positions. Allen now found himself with only forty-five men, including the brave young Eben Pike. They poured in their volleys as fast as they could load and fire. In order to do more effective work five men were told off to load, and as the men who had run away had thrown down their muskets, there was a good chance to keep the guns cool. But what could forty-five do against five hundred?