"We will soon settle that. Men of New York, in the King's name I call on you to arrest Ethan Allen, rebel and traitor. Kill him if he will not submit."
The sheriff's posse rushed forward, and Ethan stood in the doorway, unarmed, and calmly said:
"The moon is at the full."
Instantly the Green Mountain Boys filled the room.
They came from all sorts of hiding places and all were armed.
The sheriff fell back, but only for a moment.
Advancing again, he asked:
"Do you intend to resist by force?"
"I do. I shall fight for my home against the governor of New York—ay, against the king himself. Stand back! You have no warrant for my arrest and no writ of dispossession."
"I had, but I have been robbed,"
"A likely story that. If it is as you say, then you are not a fit person to be a sheriff."
"I own I was careless, but that will not help you."
"I shall not surrender without a writ."
"But you will be a prisoner, anyway, for there is a warrant out for your arrest as a rebel and a traitor."
"Was that stolen, also?"
"Mine was but a duplicate; the original has been sent by the hand of Sheriff Alston."
"Where is he?"
A man stepped forward and announced himself as Alston, a sheriff duly appointed by Gov. Tryon, of the Colony of New York.
"It is enough."
"You surrender?"
"No, by heaven, no! The Yorkers have no power over me. I hold my farm from New Hampshire, and only to the governor of New Hampshire will I relinquish it."
"Then we shall use force."
"So shall we."
"It is treason."
"It is loyalty to my country. Boys, these men are crazy; they are so because the moon is at the full."
Instantly the Green Mountain Boys were ready to resist any attack.
The sheriff gave the order to fire.
Both sides obeyed the sheriff, and a blinding smoke rose from the old muskets.
No one was hurt, for neither side liked to be the first to shed blood.
Another volley was fired, and one of the defenders was wounded.
At the word they rushed out and threw themselves on the sheriff's posse, and, with muskets clubbed, they drove the Yorkers back, breaking many a head and inflicting more damage than they received.
The Yorkers rallied and loaded their muskets.
Sheriff Merrit, with a courage worthy of a better cause, addressed his men.
"Yorkers, we must have the body of Ethan Allen, dead or alive. We must quell this revolt against lawful authority. Will you follow me?"
"Ay, to the death!"
"The courts have decided that the land belongs to New York; the king, God bless him! has confirmed the decree, and opposition to it is treason. Ay, treason, which our king has called upon us to stamp out. Are you ready?"
"Ay, we will give our lives for the king."
Ethan Allen knew that the very name of the king was sufficient to strike awe into the minds of the people.
At that time the king was looked upon as the anointed of Heaven, and only the boldest would dare to say a word against him.
Allen was too democratic to look upon George as infallible, and to him he was only the head of the nation, and no better than any other man.
But the mass of the people had not shaken off their Old World ideas of royalty.
"Boys, it may be that his majesty has confirmed the decree," said Allen, "but he was misinformed, and when he hears from our own governor, the governor from whom we hold our lands, he will change his opinion and secure us in our titles. Until then shall we defend them ourselves?"
"Ay, to the death," answered Seth Warner.
"Then load your guns, and let us drive back these Yorkers into their own colony."
The Green Mountain Boys fell into line, Ethan Allen and Seth Warner in front, and in that order they marched against the sheriff's posse.
Volley after volley was fired, and several on each side fell wounded, some fatally.
Back fell the Yorkers, and still onward went the gallant boys under Allen's lead.
Allen thought the march too slow, and he gave the order to go at double quick.
The Yorkers had but little time to load their muskets, and they had not the quickness possessed by the mountaineers.
The unfortunate Sheriff Merrit many times tried to halt his men so that they might pour a volley into the ranks of the mountain boys, but they had become too demoralized to make any determined stand.
Merrit, with the courage which almost ennobled him, snatched a musket from the hands of one of his men and, standing in the middle of the road, took deliberate aim at Ethan Allen and fired.
The ball went wide of its mark, but the intrepid sheriff loaded quickly and again attempted to fire, but he spilled the powder from his pan, and the spark did not fire the musket.
Then he clubbed the weapon and rushed forward to meet the brave leader of the Mountain Boys, and was within a few feet of Allen when he tripped and fell.
His musket fell under him, and by some unaccountable chance was fired, blowing off the top of Merrit's head.
The Yorkers were thrown in a panic by the sight, and ran faster than they had ever thought possible until they were over the border and considered themselves safe from pursuit.
The victory was with the Mountain Boys, but Allen feared that it would prove dearly bought, for the laws were so strict at that time, and all his party might be held responsible for the death of the sheriff, who, being a king's officer, was sacred.
He gave the order to march back to their homes and see to the wounded.
Only one man died from the effects of his wounds, though others were in a bad way.
Save for the attendance upon the wounded, the farmers of Bennington might have thought the fight with and pursuit of the Yorkers only a dream, so readily did they settle down to their farm duties.
Several weeks passed and no sign of any move was made by the Yorkers.
Ethan Allen had sent a full account of the affair to the Governor of New Hampshire, by the hands of his brother Ira, but save for saying that the account should be read carefully, the governor had taken no further notice.
Seth Warner had a cousin in Albany, and he induced him to send regular reports of the doings in New York, in so far as they effected the New Hampshire grants.
And during all those weeks the news came that nothing was being done. Ethan believed in the old adage that a quiet always preceded a storm, and he held himself in readiness to meet it.
The Green Mountain Boys were drilled regularly, and the watchword was looked for whenever any met the chosen messengers of the colonel.
Eben had proved himself very useful, but for several days he had been away, and Ethan was getting uneasy about him.
July had come, with all its heat and unpleasantness, and still Eben was absent.
That something had happened to him all believed, for he had never been known to absent himself from his friends for so long a time before.
It was on the tenth of July that Eben craved entrance to the residence of Ethan Allen.
"Where have you been?" asked the colonel.
"Do not be cross with me. I have only been doing what I thought ought to be done. I have been in Concord."
"What have you been doing there?"
"Keeping my mouth shut and my ears open."
"And what have you heard?"
"Much that you ought to know, and I will tell you if you are not cross with me."
"I am never cross with you, Eben."
"Then you are to be sent for to Concord, and will be sent as a prisoner to Albany. Gov. Tryon says he will hang you as soon as you reach that city."
"How learned you this?"
"Nay, should I tell you I might never learn anything more."
"When am I to be sent for?"
"The messenger is on his way. If you do as we would like you would not go."
"Why?"
"Because the governor will purchase peace for himself by having you hanged."
"Hush! there is some one even now at the door."
"Welcome, most worthy Talbot!" exclaimed Allen, when Assistant District Attorney Talbot entered. "What brings you so far from Concord?"
"A message to you, Ethan Allen."
"To me?"
"Yes, from the governor."
"A message from Gov. Wentworth is always welcome."
"It may not be so in this case. I will explain. An application has been made for your extradition by the governor of New York."
"Indeed! And what have I done?"
"You are charged with killing a king's officer and robbing him of certain documents which bore the seal of the Colony of New York."
"Of both of which crimes I am innocent."
"And so the governor thinks, but he has commanded me to explain that it is necessary that you return with me to Concord, there to satisfy the court of your innocence."
Ethan looked at Eben, and the youth made a sign to convey that the information he had given was correct and that treachery was intended.
"And if I decline to go?"
"You will not decline."
"I may."
"You must not."
"I may do so; what then?"
"Then I shall order you into arrest."
"And take me by force to Concord, and from thence to Albany?"
"If the governor so orders."
"Then go straight back to the governor and tell him that, with all due respect to him and his authority, I will not go until I am ready, and that if you attempt to arrest me I shall resist by force. I am a free man, and by the grant signed by the governor I am free from arrest unless the local tribunal so orders, and you cannot get any justice in all the Green Mountains to order me into arrest. So go back and learn that Ethan Allen can take care of himself."
"But that is treason."
"Call it what you like. I shall defend myself when the time comes, and will never submit to tyranny, even from the governor of New Hampshire, nor the king himself."
"But I must do as I am bade."
"Try to do so, you mean. Let me tell you that Ethan Allen is in the right, and the governor is in the wrong, and I defy you and all the power at your back."
Mr. Talbot knew not what to do.
Had he lived in the days of the electric telegraph he would have used the wire to obtain instructions. But in those days only a horse was at his disposal, and that was a slow means of travel.
He knew that he must act as he thought best.
If he offended the governor he might be removed from his position and disgraced.
If he offended the mountaineers they might make terms with New York, and New Hampshire might lose all the debatable land.
There was a degree of sturdy independence shown by the mountaineers which, while commendable, was slightly awkward at times.
It is in the mountains that freemen are born, and, as Ethan Allen often told the people of the valleys, the men of the hills were a race of free men, who could never be enslaved.
Talbot thought over the difficulty and resolved to try diplomacy.
"You hold your farm under a grant from Gov. Wentworth?"
"I do?"
"You owe allegiance to him?"
"Certainly."
"You ought to obey his commands."
"Stay! I am a freeborn man. I willingly give service where service is needed, I willingly obey laws which are for the good of all, but I never yet agreed to obey any one man, whether he be governor or even king."
"And yet you have no right to the farm, save such as you received from the governor."
"You mistake the position. The original grant was for a tract of mountain land. That land is now mine because I have improved it, made it of value, and all I owe to the governor is the value of the unreclaimed lands.
"Will you not go to Concord and obey the governor's mandate?"
"Not until the governor himself asks me. When he invites me I will go; when he only commands I refuse to obey. Return and tell him so."
"I dare not."
"Then stay here and you will learn what freemen think, and see how they act."
"I dare not stay."
"What a sorry specimen of a man you are. You dare not, forsooth! is that the expression of a free man?"
"You taunt me."
"Taunt you? No, I only say that I dare do aught that does become a man."
Seth Warner entered the house and was welcomed by Ethan.
The colonel told the farmer of the order received.
"Will you go?"
"No."
"I should say not, indeed. Let the governor come here if he wants to talk with you."
Talbot could make no headway, so he left the house in disgust.
He went to Faithful Quincy, the town crier, and bade him summon the men to assemble at the courthouse at once.
Quincy looked at the attorney and waited until the order was given.
"In whose name am I to give the notice?"
"That of the governor."
"Then, please your honor, you must go to the sheriff and get his order."
"Is that necessary?"
"It is, if you want to have the people assemble."
Talbot wished himself back at Concord.
With Quincy he went to the house of the sheriff and obtained his permission to call the men together.
Every man, it seemed, was at the meeting.
Talbot told them that he was sent by the governor of New Hampshire with a message for Ethan Allen.
"Then why don't you give him the message?" asked Remember Baker.
"I have done so and he refuses to accede to the governor's request."
"Then you may be sure that the governor is in the wrong."
"What is the message?" asked Peleg Sunderland.
Talbot told them all he was instructed to do, and a loud laugh went up from every man as he heard.
"So Col. Allen refuses to go?"
"He does."
"Then that is an end of the matter."
"No, it is not," answered Talbot, quickly; "you are all bound to give such military service as the governor may require."
"That is true."
"Then I call upon you to arrest and convey to Concord the body of Ethan Allen."
Seth Warner moved up to the judge's bench.
"Are you jesting?" he asked.
"No."
"You mean to insist that we shall do such service as you have outlined?"
"It is my order, acting in the name of the governor."
"Then tell the governor that there is not a man in all the grants that will lay a finger on Col. Ethan Allen."
"Thank you, my friends," Allen said, speaking for the first time; "I refuse to obey the order to go under arrest, but I will go voluntarily and tell the chief executive officer of the colony that free men are not going to be ordered about like lackeys."
"And quite right, too. We will go with you."
"No, Seth Warner, I will go alone."
"Excuse me, colonel, but we have something to say about that. We shall take a few days off and go to Concord."
And as Allen had refused to obey the governor, so the Green Mountain Boys declined to stay at home, even when their leader so requested.
On the next morning fifteen of the brave mountaineers accompanied their colonel to the seat of government of the colony.
It was not a formidable military force, but it was sufficient to show the governor that he had to deal with sturdy men.
Gov. Wentworth received the mountain heroes at ones [Transcriber's note: once?].
Talbot told his story of how he had been received by Ethan Allen, and he did not spare the young leader.
Then came Allen's turn.
"It hath been made known to me that the Colony of New York has asked that I be sent a prisoner to Albany, there to be tried for certain crimes. Is that so?"
"It is."
"It hath been told me that I am charged with killing a king's officer, one Sheriff Merrit. Is that so?"
"You are rightly informed."
"Then hear me. Merrit died in New Hampshire, and, even if I had killed him, I claim I must be tried in my own colony and not in York."
"You admit killing him?"
"I did not kill him. His death was an accident. There are plenty of witnesses to prove that. Then I am told I am charged with stealing documents bearing the seal of New York. Is that so?"
"It is."
"I can prove that when the sheriff did unlawfully enter my house at the Crossroads he had not the documents with him, but he had seals only. Now, your excellency, I am here to tell you that I hold my land from you, that I live in the Colony of New Hampshire, and that the sheriff of New York has no right to invade this colony, and if I had shot him as he entered my house I should have done right. What have you to say to that?"
Gov. Wentworth remained silent.
He knew that Allen was right.
"Do you relinquish all right to the grants?" asked Allen.
"No."
"Then tell the governor of York to mind his own business. I have not yet finished. I am a free man, a subject of his majesty, the King of England. And, as a free man, I ask you, his representative, whether you have made a promise that I shall be surrendered to Albany?"
"I decline to answer."
"You were to get me here by a trick, and then without trial send me to Albany, there to be hanged as a rebel and murderer. All I have done has been to protect the title you gave me, and my own labor, and I will protect that labor as long as my arm retains its strength."
"I am no traitor, Ethan Allen. I would have given you a fair trial."
"You promised to surrender me."
"I did not."
"Yes, you did; I heard you!"
Even Ethan was surprised and startled by the voice.
Young Eben Pike had stepped close up to the governor, and was shaking his fist in his face.
"Who are you?"
"I am Ebenezer Pike, and I heard you promise that Col. Ethan Allen should be given up to Albany, and your secretary added that he hoped to hear that the rebel was hanged quickly."
"It is false!"
"Eben speaks the truth!" hotly retorted Allen. "I would rather believe him than anyone I know. He is a child of nature and knows not how to be false. I am here to tell you, Gov. Wentworth, that we of the mountains are ready to give our lives in defense of the colony, but we will not sell our freedom!"
Wentworth knew not what to make of such men.
He admired their boldness.
He was afraid to lose their services, for he saw that troubles were brewing that would need the aid of men like Allen.
"I will see you again on the morrow. In the meantime you will all stay at my expense at the inn."
"No, sir. We ask no favors, neither do we accept any. We men of the mountains are independent."
"As you please. This young spy will remain with me."
"Eben Pike goes with us. He is of the mountains, also."
"But I must know more of his methods of spying."
"Ask him what you please; but he must be free. If he is imprisoned I will call upon the men of Concord to aid the men of the mountains to release him."
"You are bold, Sir Ethan."
"I am a free man, and I allow no one who serves me to be injured without calling the offender to account."
"But if he hath broken the laws?"
"Then let him be tried and punished."
"That is all we intend doing."
"What charge is there against him?"
"That we shall have to determine."
"Until then he will stay with us. I will be personally responsible for him."
Nothing more was said, and Allen and his Mountain Boys walked out of the governor's presence, taking Eben with them.
"Talbot, I would rather have that man as a friend than an enemy," said Wentworth when he was alone with the attorney-general.
"It will be better policy to please Ethan Allen and his mountaineers than Gov. Tryon of York."
"I am thinking you are right."
"If we do not placate Allen he will make terms with New York."
"But would Tryon agree to terms?"
"The Yorkers would make Allen deputy-governor, and Allen could take all the land west of the Connecticut over with him."
"What would you have me do?"
"Send for Allen; make him a deputy in the mountain district; give him more power than any other man in the district, and then tell Gov. Tryon to capture Allen if he can."
"Your advice may be good; I will think over it and will decide before I see these men on the morrow."
The energetic governor of New York had a spy present during the interview between the Green Mountain leader and the governor of New Hampshire.
Tryon had made up his mind to use his influence—and it was great—to have England amalgamate the two colonies and make him the ruler of the consolidated district.
In fact, he had already planned a scheme by which all of New England should be federated under his lead, thus creating a vice-gerency in the New World which should be all-powerful.
To carry out this plan he hoped to embroil the governor of New Hampshire with the mountaineers, and thus, by creating dissensions, show to England that a strong hand was needed.
When his trusted deputy heard from the spy the result of the interview between Allen and the governor, he called his aids together and asked their advice.
"Wentworth will give that fellow Allen all he asks," he said, "and our mission will be a failure."
"Cannot we capture this rebel and carry him over the border?"
"If we could we should be masters of the situation."
"Then we will do it."
"How?"
"Leave that to me. You must not know anything about it or it will compromise you."
"But, Edwards, unless I know the details how can I advise the governor or prove to him that it was justifiable?"
"That is the very thing you must not do until Allen and perhaps his men are in New York Colony. Then you can boldly say: 'Here is the rebel; hang him!'"
That evening, when the mountaineers were smoking their pipes in front of the inn, a man strolled leisurely along the street and looked at Allen and Warner, who were talking together.
He retraced his steps and stared at the men, hoping that they would resent the impertinence; but Allen did not notice him and Warner only smiled to himself.
"Can you tell me where I shall find a man they call Ethan Allen?" asked the man, after passing and repassing several times.
"I have the right to bear that name," answered Allen.
"Oh!"
"Why did you ask?"
"I wanted to see him."
"Well, you have seen him," Warner said, angrily.
"And who are you?"
"A better man than you."
"That I doubt."
"Very well; you are perfectly within your rights."
"I know that, but I would like to know your name."
"Seth Warner."
"I am Jack Edwards, at your service."
"Very well, Mr. Jack Edwards, you can serve me by going about your business."
"So I will, now that I have seen you. Good-day."
Warner did not answer the valedictory, and the man stooped down, and, picking up a handful of gravel, threw it at Warner.
"That's for your bad manners."
Warner, quick-tempered, was about to seize Edwards, when Allen pulled him back. "Sit down, Seth; the fellow is only trying to embroil us, so that our enemies may get the better of us."
"You may be right, Ethan, but I have got that fellow's face printed on my mind, and when I meet him, as I shall, I will pay him with compound interest."
Edwards saw that he could not provoke a breach of the peace, so he walked down the street, wondering of what sort of stuff this mountain hero was made, when he would restrain his friend from avenging an insult.
Early in the morning Gov. Wentworth sent for Ethan Allen and told him that he should refuse to meddle with the application for extradition, and that Allen could go back to the mountains and defend his right and title to the lands in any way he chose.
"Go tell your men that I have created an office for you. You shall be called the high custodian of the grants, and whatever you think necessary to repel the claims of the Yorkers you can do in my name."
Thus we have seen that the man sent for as a prisoner, with a gallows staring him in the face, left Concord a victor.
The conflict between the two colonies was to assume a new phase, and in that conflict Ethan Allen was to bear a most prominent part.
The Mountain Boys did not believe in wasting time, so they rallied their forces and started back as soon as they had attended to their horses and provided themselves with provisions for the journey.
Allen rode first with Seth Warner.
"Seth, what was that man's object in provoking a quarrel?"
"I am at a loss to understand."
"He was a Yorker."
"Think so?"
"Sure of it."
"Then it was mere curiosity to see you, and when he saw you he could not restrain his temper? He wanted to fight?"
"I don't think so."
"What is your idea then, colonel?"
"He wanted to embroil us in a quarrel so that the watch could be called out and we should be placed in the wrong."
"Perhaps you are right. Anyway, we are rid of him."
"Are we?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do not be too sure. The Yorkers will be mad enough to follow us, and, if a chance offers, we shall have to fight."
"What do you think of the dispute with the king?"
"For my part, I think the colonies should have the right to make their own laws."
"The king will give that right."
"No. George has all the pig-headedness of his ancestors. If the colonies get the right they will have to fight for it."
"You do not think there will be war between England and the colonies?"
"I do not know, but if there should be I shall ask that our mountain lands shall be independent."
"With you as first governor."
"I care not for that. I only want to see the people get all they deserve. Look, Seth! What do you see over there?"
"It looks to me like a number of horsemen."
"Yes, and they are trying to head us off."
"Think so?"
"Why, look! Baker, come here. What are those men doing over there?"
Remember Baker shaded his eyes with his hand and looked for several minutes before speaking.
"'Pears like as though they were trying to ambush by the side of the road and stop us."
"Just what I thought. Ask Sunderland to come here."
Peleg Sunderland was a good scout. He was a hunter from Wayback, and could find the trail of a deer or a bear quicker than any man in the Green Mountains.
"Colonel, we are in for it. Them fellows are waiting for us."
"Dismount!"
The order was obeyed, though many of the men wondered what could be the reason.
"We will have lunch——"
"But, colonel, I——"
"We will have lunch."
"Eben, get onto the trail, my boy. Find out who those men are about a mile ahead of us, and report quickly. Take care you are not seen."
The boy started off in a direction which was at right angles with the road by which the men were camped.
Ethan Allen bade the men appear to eat, whether they were hungry or not.
He told them that he feared a surprise.
The mountaineers rather liked the idea of a fight, though the odds were against them.
Every man had his musket ready for use and awaited the order to move.
Eben returned and reported that there were twenty-two men, well armed and apparently waiting for the Vermonters.
"They are led by that man who wanted to fight you, captain."
"Are you sure?"
"I took his measure when he was at the inn and I cannot be mistaken."
"Then they are Yorkers."
"That is just what they are. And, colonel, would it not be better to pass them on the road to the right, and then return and fight?"
"No, Eben. If we pass them we will not return. If we are attacked we shall give as good as we receive."
"Fight it will be."
"Yes, Seth, and we shall have tough work before we are through."
"We are ready to follow you."
"Boys, are you all ready?"
"Ay, Allen."
"I think they will let us reach them before they emerge, and they will fire at us from each side; so, Seth, you take half our men and I will look after the others. You give back good answers to the men on the right; we will take notice of those on the left."
"All right, sir."
"Mount!"
The men swung themselves in the saddles as unconcerned as though they had been partaking of lunch and suspected no enemy to be on the lookout for them.
They rode forward, and were within a few yards of the enemy, when the Yorkers leaped from their ambush and massed themselves on the road.
"In the name of the king, surrender, Ethan Allen!"
"In the name of common sense, who are you? A lot of clowns from a country fair?"
"We are the king's good subjects, and command you to surrender yourself a prisoner."
"Stand out of the way, you fool, or I will have to teach you a lesson."
Allen had spoken sharply, for he was sick of the formality which prefaced the fight which was to come.
Both sides were well matched. All were on good horses, and every man possessed a heavy musket.
"Do you refuse to surrender?"
"A Green Mountain Boy only surrenders to superiors."
"Then we shall have to make you, unless you acknowledge us as your superiors."
"Men of the mountains!" shouted Allen, "ride through these fellows—ride over them if they will not get out of the way."
Edwards ordered his men to resist and to fire upon the mountaineers.
"So you want to play the part of highwaymen, do you? Boys, return the fire."
One volley was fired by each party, and then the two opposing bodies became mixed up in inextricable confusion.
Muskets were clubbed and heads were cracked as the heavy butts descended on them.
Horses reared, and plunged, and knocked down those men who had become unhorsed.
The fight was furious for a few minutes.
Ethan and his brother, Ira, were in the thick of the struggle all the time, while Seth Warner seemed a very Trojan in valor.
Both sides fought well, and had the contest been a short one it would have been impossible to say which would have been the victor, but it was prolonged, and the mountaineers had the physical stamina which the men of the valleys lacked, and the longer the fight lasted the greater was the victory of the brave followers of Ethan Allen.
Edwards was taken prisoner, and on the understanding that he would reveal all he knew of the plot against the men of the grants, Allen allowed all the others to go free.
Two Yorkers were killed, while Allen's ranks had lost only one, and he only wounded, though severely.
In triumph the boys returned to the green hills of Vermont, and were received with many congratulations.
Edwards was brought to trial on the charge of leading an armed invasion of New Hampshire.
He declared that he alone was responsible for the foray, and doubtless his statement was a true one, though Allen did not believe it.
The district court condemned Edwards to death by hanging, for his act was one of high treason, and the sentence was sure to be confirmed by the king, to whom it had to be sent.
When Gov. Tryon heard of the fight and the capture of Edwards, and his subsequent trial and sentence, he resolved on two things. He would bring all the pressure to bear on the king that he could to prevent the sentence being confirmed, and he would capture Allen and his friends, no matter what the consequences might be.
A proclamation was printed and sent through all the grants, in which the governor of New York offered a reward of one hundred and fifty pounds sterling for the capture of Ethan Allen, dead or alive, and a further sum of fifty pounds each for the bodies, dead or alive, of Seth Warner, Remember Baker, Sylvanus Brown, Robert Cochrane, Peleg Sunderland, James Breakenridge and John Smith.
When the proclamation had been well discussed the people got another sensation in a counter proclamation, signed by Ethan Allen on behalf of the mountaineers, offering two hundred pounds for the capture of the attorney-general of New York.
Both proclamations started out with a command to the parties named to surrender themselves within thirty days under pain of the forfeiture of all their property, of conviction of felony and sentence of death without benefit of clergy.
These proclamations placed the two sections on a war footing, and Ethan saw that it was necessary to organize on a larger scale than had been done.
He consulted his trusty friend, Seth Warner, and as a result a convention was called at Bennington.
"It is no use calling on New Hampshire to aid us. We must rely on ourselves," Allen told all with whom he came in contact.
A larger number gathered at the convention than he expected, and his heart was full of joy.
He was the more pleased that he had called the men together, when, on the very morning of the gathering, he received a notice from Concord that the king had forbidden the colony to take an active part against New York in the matter of the grants.
In other words it meant that the king would protect New York and oppose all claims of New Hampshire to the lands.
"Men of the mountains," Allen commenced, "we are met to form laws to protect ourselves and our property. We must rely on ourselves alone. I think that the time has come when we should declare ourselves independent of any colony, and apply to the king for a charter."
"Good!"
"That is talk of the right kind."
"Why cannot we have our own laws, our own governor and our own army?"
"You are rather previous, Sunderland."
"Not a bit of it. I say that the king has never done anything for us, and New Hampshire has betrayed us into the hands of the Yorkers."
"We will call ourselves the Green Mountain Colony."
"I think, if you will let me suggest, that if we are going to have a new name it should be a pretty one."
"Is not the Green Mountain Colony pretty?"
"Yes; but I have thought that Vermont—it means Green Mountains—would sound good."
"Nothing could be better," assented Allen, "so we will commence our deliberations with the declaration: 'We, the men of Vermont, in convention assembled'; that will place our name above controversy."
"I propose that Ethan Allen be our governor."
"Stay, that will never do. The king must appoint a governor, so we can only declare our desire to be independent of New Hampshire, and until the king accepts our independence we must nominally recognize Gov. Wentworth as our governor."
It is not our purpose to give the proceeding of that conventionin extenso, but this much we have given, in order that the whole country may know that the sturdy mountain boys talked of independence and liberty with spirit even before the Revolution began.
Warner stood on a chair and waved his hand for attention.
"I have heard," he said, "that Gen. Gates is pressing the people of Boston so hard that the English are getting themselves disliked in that city, and I should not be surprised if a rebellion was talked of."
"The sooner the better, say I."
"Yes; why should England govern us?"
"We are too far away. The king——"
"Leave his name out of the question. We can be loyal to him, even if we become independent as a new nation."
"We want no kings——"
"Silence!" shouted Allen; "I will not listen to treason to the king."
Warner continued:
"If the people of Boston talk of rebellion, so will the people of New Hampshire, and we Green—I beg pardon, Vermonters—we, too, can govern ourselves. Then, when two or three colonies show some spirit, New York will have to tackle us all, instead of a few mountaineers."
"That is for the future, Capt. Warner; what we have to think of is, are we going to protect our farms?"
"Ay, to the death!"
The sentiment was the occasion for such cheering as Bennington had never heard before.
"We will hold our lands, even if every man has to carry a musket when he plows the ground or sows the seed or reaps the harvest."
"Good for you, Warner! Now, then, let us have a good militia."
Every man present enrolled his name on the list, and a very excellent start was made to form an army to defend the farms.
The district was divided into two parts, the northern part of the New Hampshire grants being under the command of Allen, the southern under the guidance of Warner.
Rules were laid down for the guidance of the mountaineers, and as good a system of government was inaugurated as existed in New Hampshire itself.
The strongest contingent of militia was sent with Allen to the north, for it was thought that the next attempt of New York would come from the Champlain section instead of Albany.
Everywhere Ethan Allan was received with open arms.
The farmers had reclaimed the lands from the mountain sides, and made them fruitful, and it was extremely hard that they should be turned from their farms without receiving compensation.
Resistance was popular, and the men who had taken the lead in organizing the farmers were looked upon as heroes.
Allen had taken Eben with him, and the young lad was the most useful member of his staff.
Eben had all the faithfulness of a hound, with the sagacity of a trained scout.
He was invaluable.
In some of the districts it was necessary to conceal their identity, for until the sentiment of the people was known treachery might be expected.
The reward offered for Allen was a large one for those days, and was a great temptation to the poor, struggling farmers.
So the leader had to be on the alert all the time, and Eben proved his usefulness by finding out all about the men before Allen made himself known.
The Green Mountain Boys camped on the shore of Lake Dunmore, and made the place their headquarters for the district.
Eben was returning to the camp one night when he was accosted by a lad about his own age.
"You're a stranger about here, eh?" said the lad.
"Yes; just looking about."
"Oh, from New York?"
"No, I come from New Hampshire."
"So did I. I used to live in Concord. Ever in Concord?"
"Many times," answered Eben.
"Then we ought to be friends. Looking for work?"
"Partly. My folks want a good grant somewhere, and I'm looking about for one."
"There aren't many good places now; most have been taken. They do say that a man called Ethan Allen is round stirring up the people so that he may get them their lands free."
"So I have heard."
"But some say that he wants the lands for himself."
"How is that?" asked Eben, innocently.
"Why, I have heard a man say—he came from Fort Ticonderoga—that if Allen can get his way there will be a fight. Then he will surrender and will recognize York, and as a reward will get the best farms."
"It's a——"
Eben was about to give the boy a piece of his mind, but checked himself in time.
"It's a what?" asked the lad.
"Very unlikely story, I was about to say, but thought that I would not."
"Why?"
"Because a man who would think such a thing about Col. Allen is not worth contradicting."
"Oh, that is it. So you believe in this man, Allen?"
"I do."
"So does father. He says that he will stick by him as long as he has a hand to hold a gun."
"What is your father's name?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Only he might help me to find a good piece of farm land which I could get by applying."
"So he might. Well, my father is Ezekiel Garvan—Old Zeke, they call him round about. Glad to see you when you are near. See, that is our house over yon, where the smoke is rising up from among the trees."
"And what is your name?" asked Eben.
"I am called Zeb; it is short for Zebedee. What is your name?"
Incautiously he answered, truthfully:
"Ebenezer Pike is my name."
The boys separated, and Eben returned to the camp, feeling pleased with himself to think he had found a good friend, as he never doubted old Zeke would be.
Zeb stood watching Eben for a time, and then he too returned home.
"My old dad used to blame me for listening, and used to say that little pitchers had big ears, when anyone was there, just to prevent them talking, but the big ears will be useful now, or I am not fit to be my father's son."