“Not at all! The British can’t move a man or a gun of their main force until they’re safe from our fleet. If their ships should go on to Crown Point without finding us, we could sail to the Richelieu and blow their army to pieces; so they’ve got to find us and try to put us out of the way. They’ve got to. If they come down from the north, and run past this island, and then discover us after they’ve got past, they’ve got to come back again. They’ve got to beat back against the wind, into this narrow channel; and with the wind against ’em they’ll have a hell of a time doing it. The island’s so high that when they get into the channel, their wind’ll be all whichway, and they’ll have trouble maneuvering. God knows how many ships they’ll send against us; but no matter how many there are, we’ll have a chance against ’em, thanks to whoever picked that anchorage.”

Cap put his hand under his hat and scratched his head. Then he said intolerantly, “Who do you think picked it? When you see a good anchorage like that—so good that right the first minute a person looks at it he don’t see the virtue in it, and only finds out it’s good after he studies it out himself and has second thoughts that show him it couldn’t be better, why, what you go to look for in the man that picked it is brains! Arnold picked that anchorage! But I wouldn’t have told it on him if it hadn’t been a good one. Whenever you see brains used around this army, you’ll find they belong to just only about three or four men: more likely three. One of ’em’s Arnold, and one of ’em’s Stevie Nason! Arnold and Stevie Nason is two of ’em, anyhow.”

We had hauled our wind and were headed straight for the curved line of vessels. We were so close we could see the tattered coats of the crews that swarmed on ratlines and gun-carriages. Fastened to the bulwarks of every vessel was a fringe of inverted evergreens, a collar of spruce or hemlock, so that the fleet had a holiday flavor.

Our own men lay aloft in the ratlines and manned the rails, waving their disreputable caps, so that there must have been a lively look to us as we came slashing down into the little bay.