“None taken, Mr Renner,” Hawkwood countered quickly. “On the contrary, we’re most interested in your take on things. Captain Douglas and I have been up on the Niagara these past few months. We’ve not been privy to all that’s happened on the Champlain front. I dare say you’ve learned by now that generals don’t always confide in the lower ranks, so if you’ve some scuttlebutt you’d like to share, feel free. It might give us an indication of what we can expect when we report to our regiment.”

Renner’s smile remained. Reassured, his eyes showed a degree more humour than had been there before, though when he finally spoke there remained a note of caution in his voice.

“I was about to say that, given the level of preparations, it seems reasonable to suppose there’s something brewing.”

“Such as?” Lawrence frowned and drew closer.

“That, I wouldn’t know, but as Captain Matthews said, it’s late in the year to be moving this much artillery, and yet the army’s had us ferrying men and supplies from Burlington at such a rate …” Once more, Renner’s voice trailed off.

“Yes?” Hawkwood prompted.

Renner made another apologetic face. “At such a rate one would think the army is afraid it’s running out of time.”

“That’ll be due to the weather, surely,” Lawrence observed.

“Aye, probably,” Renner agreed, but there was uncertainty in his voice. “Vermont’s faster than the schooner and she’s not hampered by rain or lack of wind. For every return trip the schooner makes, Vermont will make three, which would indicate they want the equipment transported as quickly as possible, before the lake’s iced in.”

“What sort of equipment?” Hawkwood asked.

“That’s what I was getting at,” Renner said. “It’s not just been basic supplies. We’ve been transporting a lot of armaments, like those field guns.” Renner jerked his head at the deck cargo. “Small arms, too, along with powder and shot, of course, and tents. And then there were the troop carriers. I—”

“Troop carriers?” Hawkwood said.

Lawrence’s head came up. Even though they were out of the paddlewheel’s range, his shoulders and coat collar shone with water droplets.

Renner turned. “Batteaux. Well over a hundred of them; it took several convoys. They were quite a sight, I can tell you; strung out in lines on the lake.”

Hawkwood didn’t have to look at Lawrence to know what he was thinking. It was a certainty that the boats Renner was talking about were the batteaux constructed during the military’s takeover of the Whitehall shipyard.

“We were shuttling troops before then, though,” Renner said. “If you include the sick and wounded, we must have transferred more than a couple of thousand, all told.”

“To Plattsburg,” Hawkwood said.

“And some to Cumberland Head. All save the terminally sick. Those we delivered to Crab Island.”