And he looked also at the wintry forest that curved in every direction.
"Colonel de Courcelles," he said, "it seems to me that we are in and you are out.

If it comes to holding us here all winter we who have good houses can stand it much better than you who merely have the forest as a home, where you will be rained upon, snowed upon, hailed upon, and maybe frozen.

Why should we exchange our warm house for your cold forest ?" Colonel de Courcelles frowned.

There was a humorous inflection in Colden's tone that did not please him, and the young officer's words also had a strong element of truth.
"It's not a time to talk about houses and forests," he said, somewhat haughtily.

"We have here a formidable force capable of carrying your fort, and, for that reason, we demand your surrender.