John's
at the northern end of the lake. When he was about thirty miles
from the fort the wind dropped, and his ship lay rocking idly on
the water. Arnold, however, was not the man to be easily beaten.
He had boats enough to carry thirty men, and with these he set off
to row to the fort. All night the men bent to the oars, and at six
o'clock in the morning they reached St. John's.
Once more the fort was easily taken. For here too, there were no
more than twelve men. Arnold, however, was only just in time, for
he learned from his prisoners that troops were expected from Canada.
He felt therefore that St. John's was no safe place for him and
his little band of thirty. So he seized a small ship which lay in
the harbour, sank everything else in the shape of a boat, and made
off. And when the Canadian troops arrived next day they found the
fort deserted alike by friend and foe, and the boats which should
have carried them on their way to Ticonderoga at the bottom of the
lake.
By these quick bold attacks the control of the great waterway was
for a time at least in the hands of the colonists. It was, moreover,
rendered useless to the British, for their boats being destroyed
they had no means of transporting soldiers southwards until new
boats could be built. This caused a long delay, a delay very useful
to the colonists.
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