Elias was of my mind concerning the necessity of so doing, but I understood plainly that he was not inclined to volunteer for such a mission. In fact, he said decidedly that if a message was to be sent, some one of the lads inside the stockade, of whose courage we might be in doubt, could best be spared at such a time when it seemed probable an attack was imminent. But I reminded him that it might be impossible, and certainly would require a great expenditure of time, to seek for some other messenger than one of us two who were already beyond the enemy’s lines. Well, because of the darkness, when it would be impossible to do much spying upon the enemy after we were come in the vicinity of Wintermoot’s, we spent considerable time in the thicket talking of this or of that, and chiefly regarding the show of insubordination which was displayed shortly after he went out on the scout. It matters little what we said, although to us the conversation was of deepest import, since it was the foreshadowing of what we might expect when the villainous Col. John Butler began his work of butchery upon almost defenceless people, claiming that he was no more than waging legitimate warfare. Young in experience though we were, it was possible for us to understand full well that on account of the quarrels which we of the valley had had concerning the ownership of the land, and also because of the interferences of Connecticut in our affairs, were we in greater peril than any other cluster of settlements in the colonies, owing to the greater number of Tories as compared with the loyal people. It must not be supposed, however, that we spent any very great amount of time chewing over those questions which had caused bloodshed long before the colonists decided to array themselves against the king, but the greater portion of our talk was regarding what we might be able to do at Jenkins’s Fort, in event of a pitched battle, when the odds were like to be heavy against us. When the day was within an hour of breaking we began our advance toward Wintermoot’s, moving with such caution that the gray light of morning had dispersed the darkness as we were come within sight of, but at a respectful distance from, the stockade, wherein were probably gathered those who were minded to lay waste all the little settlements in our beautiful valley. At this early hour no one was stirring within the fort, and because of having halted on a slight elevation of land it was possible for us to see everything within the enclosure. Outside, however, toward the river, where had been put up the lodges of the savages, as if to effect a permanent settlement, we could see that the Indians were all astir, and now and then one would set off at a rapid pace in the direction of Jenkins’s Fort, or again, a runner would return, as if bringing some intelligence from those who menaced the Minute Boys of Wyoming Valley.