Page 66 - A Hero of Ticonderoga

The hound snuffed eagerly at the soiled footgear, slowly wagging his tail,
and then looked inquiringly at his master.

"Sarch him out, boy. Sarch him out," Job encouraged him, pointing along

the ground.

The hound circled about the yard a little, and then, finding the trail,

followed it silently and steadily down to the creek to where the men were
mustered. There, on the much trodden ground, it baffled him for a while.

Resorting to his usual tactics, he made widening circles and again found the
trail and went off upon it in a steady, untiring pace southward in the
direction of Ticonderoga.

"I knowed it," said Job to himself, "and I’ll bet ye there’ll be a Canuck treed

afore sundown." Guided by the deep, mellow baying of the hound, he set
off, with his gun at atrail, in rapid pursuit.

The agile little Canadian had at least an hour’s start, and made such brisk
use of it that he was on the shore opposite the Fort when he was overtaken

by the hound, who at once set furiously upon him. Being unarmed, he was
forced to scramble up a tree, from which, when he had recovered his breath,
he began lustily to hail the Fort, and at intervals to curse the hound. His

shouts, and Gabriel’s insistent deep-mouthed bayings, could scarcely fail to
attract the attention of the garrison, and Job, pushing forward at his best

pace, presently appeared upon the scene.

"Hello de Forrt," the Canuck was shouting. "Hey! Hello de Forrt! Sacre

chien! Go home, Ah tol’ you! Hello, Carillon. Tac-con-derrrque! All de
Bastonais was comin’ for took you, Ah tol’ you! Sacre chien! Stop off you

nowse so Ah can heard me spik."

"Shut yer head an’ come down out o’ that mighty quick," Job commanded in

a low voice.

"Me no onstan’ Angleesh," and again the voice rang out over across the
water: "Hello de Forrt!"