surprised and taken prisoners. What followed was much
less fortunate. Champlain does not state the number of
Frenchmen present, but as his drawing shows eleven
musketeers, we may infer that his own followers were
distinctly more numerous than at the battle on Lake
Champlain.

The height of the palisade was thirty feet, and a system
of gutters supplied abundant water for use in extinguishing
fire. Champlain's plan of attack was to employ a cavalier,
or protected scaffolding, which should overtop the palisade
and could be brought close against it. From the top of
this framework four or five musketeers were to deliver
a fusillade against the Iroquois within the fort, while
the Hurons kindled a fire at the foot of the palisade.
Champlain's drawing shows the rest of the musketeers
engaged in creating a diversion at other points.

But everything miscarried. Though the cavalier was
constructed, the allies threw aside the wooden shields
which Champlain had caused to be made as a defence against
the arrows of the Iroquois while the fire was being
kindled. Only a small supply of wood had been collected,
and even this was so placed that the flames blew away
from the palisade instead of towards it. On the failure
of this attempt to fire the fort all semblance of discipline
was thrown to the winds. 'There also rose such disorder
among them,' says Champlain, 'that one could not understand
another, which greatly troubled me. In vain did I shout
in their ears and remonstrate to my utmost with them as