of a French invasion from Canada, and these men were sent to the region of Lake George to take part in the defence. Here Putnam began his military career as scout and ranger, and no American frontiersman ever had a more exciting series of adventures.

After the terrible Indian massacre at Fort William Henry, at the foot of Lake George, the American forces were gathered into Fort Edward, on the head-waters of the Hudson. Putnam, now a major, occupied with his corps of rangers an outpost station on a small island near the fort. Fearing an attack from the French, General Lyman, the officer in command, sent a body of laborers into the forest to cut timber to strengthen the fort, while Captain Little, with fifty British soldiers, were posted to protect them.

Here, one morning at daybreak, the laborers were fired upon by a party of Indians who had crept upon them through the forest, and when Captain Little came to the rescue he found himself hard pressed by superior forces. He sent a messenger to General Lyman for aid, but that cautious commander, thinking that the whole army of French and Indians were upon him, closed the gates in haste and left the party to its fate.

Fortunately, the sound of the firing reached Putnam's ears, and immediately afterwards his scouts brought him word of Captain Little's danger. "Follow me!" he shouted to his men, as he dashed into the water and waded to the shore. His route led him past the walls of the fort, on which stood the alarmed general.

66

Come into the fort," he cried. "The enemy are in overwhelming force. We can spare no more men.” We are not sure that these were Lyman's exact

words, but whatever he said, Putnam went on with a muttered reply. Brave men were in danger, and where they were was the post of duty. He dashed on, followed by his men, to where the British soldiers were fighting the savages. They were on exposed ground, while the Indians were in ambush.

"This is no place for a stand," cried Putnam. "Forward! We must rout out the red devils."

With loud shouts the whole party plunged into the marsh in front and in a minute were face to face with the hidden savages. This sudden onslaught threw the Indians into a panic. They broke and fled, hotly pursued, the chase not ending until they had been followed through miles of forest and many of them had fallen.

When Putnam returned it was with an uneasy mind. He had disobeyed the orders of his superior. At the least he looked for a severe censure. He might even be courtmartialed. As it proved, he had no cause for fear. Lyman, ashamed of his panic, chose to forget Putnam's action and had only words of praise for the behavior of the party. Putnam, indeed, had saved him from a reprimand from his superiors.

One other event at Fort Edward showed the daring, energy, and decision of Putnam in a high light. The barracks within the fort took fire. Twelve feet away stood the magazines, stored with three hundred barrels of gunpowder. On seeing the smoke and flames, Putnam hastened from his island to the fort, where he found the garrison in a panic, the flames spreading and the magazine in imminent danger.

There was not a minute to lose. With prompt decision he organized a line of soldiers leading to the river, each bearing a bucket. Mounting a ladder, he poured the water as it came into the burning building.

He

The heat was intense, the smoke suffocating. A pair of mittens he wore were burned from his hands. called for another pair, dipped them into the water, and kept on.

66

An officer called him down from that post of imminent danger, but he would not budge. We must fight the enemy inch by inch," he cried.

Despite his efforts the fire spread. Descending the ladder he took his station between the two buildings and continued his active service, his intrepidity giving courage to all. The outer planks of the magazine caught fire, but he dashed the water upon them. And thus he continued for more than an hour, until the rafters of the barracks fell in, the heat decreased, and the magazine was saved.

As for himself, he was scorched and blistered from head to foot. When he pulled off the second pair of gloves the skin of his hands came with them. Several weeks passed before he recovered from the effects of his fight with fire. But no man could have been more tenderly nursed and cared for, since all felt that to him they owed the safety of the fort and the lives of many or all of the garrison.

There are other stories of thrilling adventures of this daring man. On one occasion he was surprised by a large party of Indians when in a boat with a few men at the head of the rapids of the Hudson. It was a situation of frightful peril. To land, or to stay where they were alike meant death from the Indians. go down the rapids seemed a fatal expedient. What was to be done? Putnam did not hesitate. The boat was pushed from the shore and in a few minutes was shooting down the current. The Indians looked on in

Το

amazement. Down the foaming stream sped the seemingly doomed boat, whirling round rocks, sweeping down shelves, shooting abrupt falls.

Putnam did not lose his self possession. His keen eye scanned every peril; his firm hand grasped the helm, changing the course at every new danger. A few minutes of awful anxiety passed, and then the boat floated safely out upon the smooth waters below. The Indians gave up the chase, feeling that the men who could pass those rapids in safety bore charmed lives.

One more story let us tell. It is one that strikingly shows Putnam's wit and quickness of action. It happened when the army was encamped in the forest to the east of Lake George. It was surrounded by prowling Indians, doing all the mischief they could. No sentinel was safe, and at one outpost the sentinel disappeared every night, with no trace of where he had gone. The bravest men were stationed there, with orders, if any noise was heard, to call out "Who goes there?" three times, and if no answer came, to fire. But still the mystery kept up, until the men refused to go on so dangerous a post.

In this dilemma there seemed nothing to do but to draw a man by lot, but Putnam settled the difficulty by volunteering to occupy the dangerous post. The commander, glad to have a sentinel of his calibre, gave him the same instructions as he had given the others and Putnam marched resolutely to the point of peril. He examined the surroundings carefully, made sure that his musket was in good order, and began his monotonous tramp back and forth.

Several hours passed, then a slight sound met his ear. It seemed a prowling animal. There was a crackling sound, as of a hog eating acorns. Putnam's quick

ear apprised him of the exact location of the sound, and he knew the tricks of the Indians too well to let even a hog pass unchallenged. Taking aim at the spot, he obeyed orders strictly by calling out "Who goes there?-three times!" and instantly fired.

There followed a groaning and struggling noise. Loading his musket again, he ran forward and found what seemed a large bear in the agonies of death. A quick examination showed it to be a gigantic Indian, wrapped in a bear skin, who in this guise had been able to approach and shoot the sentinels. There was no more trouble on that outpost. The sentinels there were not again disturbed.

In August, 1758, Major Putnam passed through the most critical adventure of his life. He with Major Rogers and eight hundred men were sent to overtake a party of the enemy who had cut off a baggage train. The attempt was fruitless, the party having escaped, and on their return they fell into an ambush of French and Indians. A fight ensued in which the Americans were successful, but Putnam was taken prisoner by an Indian in the midst of the fight and tied to a tree between the lines, where he was in imminent peril of death from both parties.

When the Indians retreated they took their captive with them, and he was badly maltreated by some of them. That night a party of the savages determined to burn him alive, and he was tied to a tree and brush heaped around him and set on fire. On the first occasion a shower of rain put out the fire. It was no sooner over than the fuel was kindled again, and the savages began to dance in yelling delight around the blazing pile.

At this critical juncture a French officer, who had