As they approached, the rifles of Daganoweda's men came into action also, and St.Luc's force replied with a heavy fire.

The naval battle was on, and it was fought with all the fury of a great encounter by fleets on the high seas.
Robert saw St.Luc in his canoe, giving orders both with his voice and the waving of his sword, while the single Indian in the light craft paddled him to and fro as he wished, stoically careless of the bullets.
In the heat and fury of the combat the fleet of Rogers came under the fire of the French and Indians on the island, many being wounded and some slain.

These reserves of St.Luc in their eagerness waded waist deep into the water, and pulled trigger as fast as they could load and reload.
A ranger in Willet's boat was killed and two more received hurts, but the hunter kept his little command in the very thick of the battle, and despite the great cloud of smoke that covered the fleets of both sides Robert soon saw that the rangers and Mohawks were winning.

One of the larger boats belonging to St.Luc, riddled with bullets, went down, and the warriors who had been in it were forced to swim for their lives.
Several canoes were rammed and shattered.

Willet and Tayoga meanwhile were calmly picking their targets through the smoke, and when they fired they never missed.
The rangers, too, were showing their superiority as sharpshooters to the French and Indians, and were doing deadly execution with their long rifles.