IN THE next few days the narrow strip of water in front of our camp at Crown Point was the clogged throat of a double-ended funnel, one end in Canada and the other end open to Albany and the whole New England coast. Everything under God’s heaven seemed to be pouring into both ends, overwhelming us with a deluge of smallpox patients, commissioners, committees, curiosity seekers, orders, counter-orders, starved and half-naked troops, scanty supplies, wild rumors, heat, thunderstorms and frenzy.

Tom Bickford and the crew that had taken Arnold to Albany returned; and Tom, in great haste, stopped long enough before departing northward to toss me a written message from Arnold. Tom was carrying orders back to Sullivan from Schuyler to abandon Isle aux Noix and come south to Crown Point. He had no time, even, to eat. His craft was a wooden canoe with two masts and two lug sails, queer-looking because Tom kept Cap Huff perched on the windward gunwale to hold her upright; and long after he was gone we could hear Cap bawling to Tom to ease her off and give his breeches a chance to dry.

To Captain Peter Merrill at Crown Point [the message read]. Get the ship timbers to the southern tip of the lake at once. You will find a sawmill at Skenesboro, and can start getting out more timbers with no loss of time. We have sent to New England for ship carpenters, who are hard to come by on acct. of so many privateers building. I have sent an express to Steven Nason’s wife to help us get a few men from your part of Maine. Lay down keels for ten row-galleys. If we can get enough men we will build a 38-gun ship, a frigate, and kick up a dust with her. As everything depends on speed, you will not let any grass grow under your feet.

B. Arnold, Brig. Gen.

… I thought we’d never get a vessel to transport our timbers; for whatever would float was in use on business that would allow of no interference. Every empty craft was hurrying north to salvage Sullivan’s army before it was gobbled up by the British. They straggled past, day and night: bateaux, canoes, longboats, even whaleboats that had been dragged over to Lake George from the Hudson.

All south-bound boats were loaded with the sick; and with the arrival of the first of them, I had Nathaniel and Zelph strike the tent and move it out of sight and sound of the landing place, so that Ellen might not fall sick herself.