THE BATTLE OF THE LONG SAULT

Chapter 36: No Rules in This Game

"The first man at the first loophole and the last man at number eleven loophole will not have replacements; they must fire when ready, step back, reload and return to the firing position.

"Robert Jurie will stand here about twenty paces behind the second line of men so that he can see all the firing points and cover or reinforce where necessary. I will be on this rock where I can see over the barricade. Get your ammunition ready. Move!"

The men peeled out of the circle like birds frightened by gunshot.

Annahotaha and his Hurons moved to the left, the river side, They grabbed boxes of powder and shot and placed them a step and a half behind and a little to the side of the loopholes they were defending. When they had fired and stepped back, they would just have to reach down without looking to grab their ammunition. Annahotaha would defend the river and the area from the river to the beginning of the fifth loophole, which was facing the water and the rapids. To attack these positions, the Iroquois would have to run from their palisade toward the river then cut left and run along the river then swing into the left again to the barricade. It gave Annahotaha's men the most time to aim and fire and put the Iroquois at the most serious disadvantage, for they had the longest run without cover to attack this position. The river acted as a barrier because the current was too fast to permit an attack from the water.

Annahotaha noted all this as he deployed his men at loopholes one through five. He put a good marksman at the position of the first loophole because that man would get no relief, and he placed another good one at the position of the number five loophole because that man shared the spot with a Frenchman. After the defection, Annahotaha wanted no more reasons for the French to mistrust the Hurons. He alternated strong and weaker marksmen at the other holes, and he took up the first position of the second loophole himself. From there he could see all the others in front of him and still be close enough to assist any strong attack to the first loophole, which was just behind him to the left on the semi-circle.

Mituvemeg's men picked up ammunition as they ran to the far right-hand side of the barricade. They defended against attack from the forest, only forty yards away and would, therefore, have the shortest time to prepare.

Behind the barricade was a natural rock formation which rose steeply and acted as a back-stop for the defenders. For any Iroquois who cared to climb it from the forest, it also offered a position from which to shoot down on the barricade. Two facts had worked against that so far: the rock formation was so steep it could be climbed only with a great deal of time, and there wasn't much room at the peak. If an Iroquois did

get up there, the barricade's defenders could see him easily and shoot him.

After a few early attempts at this, the Iroquois got tired of losing men so easily and had ignored that route days earlier. But Mituvemeg wondered, now with so many men so intent on the kill, if the enemy would try the position again.

'While taking up his place at loophole ten, he resolved to keep an eye on the rock.

"Dollard," Mituvemeg called.

Dollard looked over.

"Watch the rock above us!"

Dollard nodded and yelled to everyone:

"When re-loading, look behind you to the rock!"

Mituvemeg's Algonquins now occupied the extreme right of the barricade at the last two loopholes, ten and eleven, near the rock and closest to the forest.

The French fighters moved to the center of the curve of the barricade, pulling ammunition with them. They began with Cognac taking the second position at the fifth loophole next to the Huron.

Cognac looked at the Huron and spoke in French.

"Can you shoot straight?"

The Huron did not answer. He could not speak French and Cognac didn't know much Huron except swear words.

"Have you got your ammunition ready?" Cognac asked.

No response.

"Have you got a drink?" he asked.

The Huron regarded him blankly.

"Dumb savages," Cognac said to himself in French, and then he said it in Huron.

"Dumb savages."

"Dumb savages," the Huron repeated, thinking Cognac was referring to the Iroquois.

Surprised, Cognac laughed and responded in Huron.

"Right! Dumb savages. Stupid dogs!"

"Stupid dogs," echoed the Huron, looking grimly out the loophole.

"Hey, you're all right," said Cognac, slapping the Indian on the shoulder.

"Rotten Viper bastards," Cognac said in Huron.

"Rotten Viper bastards," repeated the Huron. "Sons of dogs," he added unexpectedly.

Cognac looked at the Huron with glee.

"Right! -- sons of dogs! Let's shoot the sons of dogs!" He laughed.

The other men took their positions at loopholes six to nine and Frenchmen lined up in the second line between each of the loopholes from five to eleven, extending behind Mituvemeg's Algonquins. They were ready. Robert Jurie moved a few more boxes into position, grabbed his musket and stepped back several steps.

"Where the hell are they?" he said.

"Jesus, don't invite them!" said Pilote from the sixth loophole.

The silence was worse than the sporadic fire had been for days. The men were aware of their own heavy, irregular breathing. It wasn't hot, but some wiped sweat from their foreheads.

The air was still.

Finally, Forges spoke:

"Captain, captain."

"What is it?" said Dollard.

"Captain, due to a pressing social engagement I should like to be relieved of duty for the next few days. May I have leave?"

"I, too, have a pressing matter. I have been called to the bar," said Cognac.

The laughter that broke the tension hadn't died before Agariata, gave the Iroquois the signal to attack.