Page 4 (1/2)

A drifting spark of green drew his eye, and he felt delight well up in him There was another … another … ten, a dozen, and the air was suddenly full of fireflies, soft green sparks that winked on and off, glowing like tiny distant candles ae He’d seen fireflies once or twice before, in Geric, pure ashe watched thee of the encahed and turned toward the center, full-fed, pleasantly tired, and with no i He had no troops under his co, really, to do until he reached Gareon and Charlie Carruthers

With a sigh of peace, he closed the flap of his tent and shucked his outer clothing

He was roused abruptly froht To up like a frog onto hands and knees, scrabbling , Grey seized the dagger he had hung on the tent peg before retiring and, flinging back the flap, peered out Men were rushing to and fro, colliding with tents, shouting orders, yelling for help There was a glow in the sky, a reddening of the low-hanging clouds

"Fireships!" someone shouted Grey shoved his feet into his shoes and joined the throng oftoward the water

Out in the center of the broad dark river stood the bulk of the Harwood, at anchor And co slowly down upon her were one, two, and then three blazing vessels A raft, stacked with flammable waste, doused with oil and set afire A sht Sorass and leaves? Too far to see, but it was colanced at the ship and saw moves were happening The ship couldn’t raise anchor and sail away, not in ti out to try to deflect the fireships, keep theht, he had not noticed the shrieks and shouts still co from the other side of the ca the fireships, they began to stir, realizing belatedly that so else was afoot

"Indians," the h, ululating screech split the air "Indians!"

This cry becaan to rush in the other direction

"Stop! Halt!" Grey flung out an ar hi the rush "You! You and you--seize your neighbor, coain, white-eyed in the starlight

"It may be a trap!" Grey shouted "Stay here! Stand to your arhtshirt took up the cry in a cast-iron bellow, adding to its effect by seizing a dead branch fro back those trying to get past hirew upstream, and another beyond it: more fireships The boats were in the water now, mere dots in the darkness If they could fend off the fireships, the Harwood ht be saved frooing on in the rear of the encaned to pullthe ship protected only by her e loaded with explosives, or a boarding craft, hoping to elude detection while everyone was dazzled or occupied by the blazing fireships and the raid

The first of the fireships had drifted har itself out on the sand, brilliant and beautiful against the night The short gentleeant, Grey thought--had succeeded in rallying a sroup of soldiers, whoo and fetch their muskets, all orderly, sir?"

"They will," Grey said "And hurry Go with theeant Aloysius Cutter, sir," the short gentleman replied with a nod, "and pleased to know an officer what has a brain in his head"

"Thank you, Sergeant And fetch back as many more men as fall conveniently to hand, if you please With arms A rifleman or two, if you can find them"

Matters thus momentarily attended to, he turned his attention once more to the river, where two of the Harwood’s s one of the fireships away fro water with their oars; he caught the splash of their efforts and the shouts of the sailors

"Me lord?"

The voice at his elbow nearly ue He turned with an atte out into the chaos, but before he could su soht your breeches, ht need ’ehtful of you, Toh He stepped into the breeches and pulled the in the camp, do you know?"

He could hear Tom s hard

"Indians, h the tents, set one or two afire They killed one man I saw, and … and scalped hiht be about to voht ar screams had stopped, and while he could still hear considerable hubbub in the ca, just the calls of officers, sergeants, and corporals ordering thenoses and reckoning da, and powder, as well as his coat and stockings Aware of the dark forest and the long, narrow trail between the shore and the camp, Grey didn’t send Toeant Cutter--ith good military instinct, had also taken time to put his breeches on--came up with his ar " ’Oo, sir?"

"I am Lieutenant-Colonel Grey Set your eant, with particular attention to dark craft co downstream, and then come back to report what you know of matters in camp"

Cutter saluted and promptly vanished with a shout of "Coave a brief, strangled screaer by reflex, to find a dark shape directly behind hilishman," said the Indian who had led them to the camp earlier He sounded mildly amused "Le capitaine sent me to find you"

"Why?" Grey asked shortly His heart was still pounding froe, and disliked even ht that the man could easily have killed him before Grey kneas there

"The Abenaki set your tent on fire; he supposed they ed you and your servant into the forest"