 58. A Fresh Supply of Powder |
60. A Night Attack  |
In quōdam lacū maximō, cuius in lītore positum est oppidum Taeconderōga, ācriter quondam ab Americānīs cum Britannīs pugnātum est. Americānīs[1] parvae erant nāvēs et paucae; at dux Britannicus, quī facile ē Canadā cōpiās adferre poterat, multās nāvēs longās summā diligentiā īnstrūctās[2] parāverat; sē enim Taeconderōgam brevī expugnātūrum spērābat.
Imperātor tamen colōnōrum, vir maximae virtūtis[3], etsī numerō erat multō īnferior, committere proelium minimē dubitāvit; sed cum hōrās multās esset pugnātum noxque iam adesset, nāvēs vix nābant Americānae, tēlaque paene dēfēcerant. Quō quidem tempore Britannī, noctem veritī, proeliō[4] dēstitērunt; sed ad ancoram haud procul cōnsistēbant, nē colōnī per tenebrās effugere cōnārentur.
At Americānī nocte intempestā, lucernīs[5] extīnctīs, silentiō dedērunt vēla, et magnō circuitū hostēs vītāvērunt. Itaque māne, cum Britannī proelium redintegrāre vellent, vix in cōnspectū erat nāvis ūlla; quārē illī, ancorīs sublātīs, summā celeritāte īnsequī coepērunt. Postquam autem Americānōs fugientēs[6] paene adsecūtī sunt, cōnstitit ea nāvis, quā vehēbātur dux ipse colōnōrum, et sōla hostium sustinuit impetum, dōnec reliqua classis Americāna in portum mūnītum pervenīre potuit; quīn etiam nē illam quidem praedam cēpērunt Britannī; nam suō[7] nāvigiō, cum ad lītus appulsum esset[8], Americānī ipsī ignīs admōvērunt.
- ↑ Americānīs: dat. case.
- ↑ īnstrūctās: equipped.
- ↑ maximae virtūtis: cf. tantae virtūtis, p. 62, l. 14.
- ↑ proeliō: for syntax, cf. cōnātū, p. 27, l. 3.
- ↑ lucernīs: lucerna, -ae: f., lantern.
- ↑ fugientēs: participle as adj..
- ↑ suō: cf. suum, p. 11, l. 6.
- ↑ appulsum esset: cf. appulit, p. 31, l. 13.