But the tide
had turned, and the Iroquois were fugitives in their own country.
The army continued its march through the wilderness, the scouts
in front and heavy parties of riflemen on either flank. There
was no chance for a surprise. Henry and his comrades were aware
that Indian bands still lurked in the forest, and they had
several narrow escapes from the bullets of ambushed foes, but the
progress of the army was irresistible. Nothing could check it
for a moment, however much the Indian and Tory chiefs might plan.
They camped again that night in the forest, with a thorough ring
of sentinels posted against surprise, although there was little
danger of the latter, as the enemy could not, for the present at
least, bring a sufficient force into the field. But after the
moon had risen, the five, with Heemskerk, went ahead through the
forest. The Iroquois town of Kanawaholla lay just ahead, and the
army would reach it on the morrow. It was the intention of the
scouts to see if it was still occupied.
It was near midnight when the little party drew near to
Kanawaholla and watched it from the shelter of the forest. Like
most other Iroquois towns, it contained wooden houses, and
cultivated fields were about it.
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