Meantime he had formed a warm friendship with two young officers lately come to the fort with the new commander, Colonel Monro--one of them being Captain Pringle, and the other a young lieutenant of the name of Roche.
Colonel Monro was a Scotchman, a brave man and a fine soldier.
Those under his command spoke of him in terms of warm and loving admiration.

Fritz heard of some of his achievements from his new friends, and in his turn told them of his own adventures and of the life he had led during the past two years.
"We have heard of the Rangers many a time and oft," cried Roche.
"We had thought of offering ourselves to Rogers as volunteers; but men are so sorely wanted for the regular army and the militia that our duty seemed to point that way.

But I should like well to follow the fortunes of the hardy Rogers." It was true indeed that men were sorely wanted at Fort William Henry.

Colonel Monro looked grave and anxious as he examined its defences.

It was an irregular bastioned square, built of gravel and earth, crowned by a rampart of heavy logs, and guarded by ditches on three sides, and by the lake on the north.