the king's soldiers who had come to join Thayendanega in his murderous
work, Sergeant Corney called out in a loud tone:

"In the camp! Here come friends who were like to have run over you!"

In a twinkling the command was aroused, and before I had fully gathered my
wits, which had been scattered by the old soldier's hail, I found myself
in the midst of a large body of men, many of whom I had seen in my uncle's
home at Cherry Valley.

And now, that I may not dwell too long on a commonplace story when I have
so much of adventure to relate, let me say that we had stumbled on
upwards of three hundred men belonging to the patriot army, who, under
command of General Herkimer, were bent on paying a friendly visit to the
Indian village.

As we soon learned, General Herkimer, having been intimately acquainted
with Brant, hoped by an interview to persuade the sachem to join the
patriots, or at least to remain neutral, and to such end had invited the
chief to meet him at Unadilla for a powwow. At the same time that General
Herkimer had set out to find Brant, Colonel Van Schaick, with one hundred
and fifty men, went to Cherry Valley, even as poor Lieutenant Wormwood had
announced, and the remainder of the American force in the vicinity was
encamped at the proposed rendezvous lest the treacherous chief accept the
invitation simply in order to work mischief.

"We'll march with this company," Sergeant Corney said, in a tone of
satisfaction, "an' it will be possible to have a look at the village
without runnin' too many chances of losin' our hair."