The guns of freedom rang out a prophecy of triumph, and the hissing bullets clucked sharply as they entered the solid logs of the walls or whisked through an aperture and bowled over a man.

The British musketeers returned the fire as best they could, with a courage and a stubborn coolness which Helm openly admired, although he could not hide his satisfaction whenever one of them was disabled.
"Lamothe and his men are refusing to obey orders," said Farnsworth a little later, hastily approaching Hamilton, his face flushed and a gleam of hot anger in his eyes.

"They're in a nasty mood; I can do nothing with them; they have not fired a shot." "Mutiny ?" Hamilton demanded.
"Not just that.

They say they do not wish to fire on their kinsmen and friends.

They are all French, you know, and they see their cousins, brothers, uncles and old acquaintances out there in Clark's rabble.