The force had been assembled at Crown Point, and numbered sixteen hundred regulars, Canadians, and Indians.

Everything needful for their comfort had been provided--overcoats, blankets, bear skins to sleep on, and tarpaulins to cover them.

They had been provided with twelve days' provisions, which were placed on hand sledges and drawn by the troops.
They marched, over the ice of Lake Champlain, down to Ticonderoga, where they rested a week, and constructed three hundred scaling ladders.

Three days' further march, up Lake George, brought them to the English fort.
The weak point of the expedition was its leader, for Vaudreuil, who was himself a Canadian, had the greatest jealousy of the French officers, and had intrusted the command of the expedition to his brother, Rigaud.
The fire did no damage, as the garrison lay sheltered behind their entrenchments, replying occasionally whenever the enemy mustered in force, as if with an intention of attacking.
"I don't think they mean business, this time, captain," Nat said in a tone of disgust.

"Why, there are enough of them to eat us, if they could but make up their minds to come on.