CHAPTER V.
DEFIANCE.
"We will soon settle that. Men of New York, in the King's name I callon you to arrest Ethan Allen, rebel and traitor. Kill him if he willnot 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 myarrest 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 fitperson 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 foryour arrest as a rebel and a traitor."
"Was that stolen, also?"
"Mine was but a duplicate; the original has been sent by the hand ofSheriff Alston."
"Where is he?"
A man stepped forward and announced himself as Alston, a sheriff dulyappointed 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 farmfrom New Hampshire, and only to the governor of New Hampshire will Irelinquish 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 sobecause 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 oldmuskets.
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'sposse, and, with muskets clubbed, they drove the Yorkers back, breakingmany 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 hismen.
"Yorkers, we must have the body of Ethan Allen, dead or alive. We mustquell 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 istreason. 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 tostrike awe into the minds of the people.
At that time the king was looked upon as the anointed of Heaven, andonly the boldest would dare to say a word against him.
Allen was too democratic to look upon George as infallible, and to himhe 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 ofroyalty.
"Boys, it may be that his majesty has confirmed the decree," saidAllen, "but he was misinformed, and when he hears from our owngovernor, the governor from whom we hold our lands, he will change hisopinion and secure us in our titles. Until then shall we defend themourselves?"
"Ay, to the death," answered Seth Warner.
"Then load your guns, and let us drive back these Yorkers into theirown colony."
The Green Mountain Boys fell into line, Ethan Allen and Seth Warner infront, 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 underAllen's lead.
Allen thought the march too slow, and he gave the order to go at doublequick.
The Yorkers had but little time to load their muskets, and they had notthe quickness possessed by the mountaineers.
The unfortunate Sheriff Merrit many times tried to halt his men so thatthey might pour a volley into the ranks of the mountain boys, but theyhad become too demoralized to make any determined stand.
Merrit, with the courage which almost ennobled him, snatched a musketfrom the hands of one of his men and, standing in the middle of theroad, took deliberate aim at Ethan Allen and fired.
The ball went wide of its mark, but the intrepid sheriff loaded quicklyand 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 leaderof the Mountain Boys, and was within a few feet of Allen when hetripped 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 thanthey had ever thought possible until they were over the border andconsidered themselves safe from pursuit.
The victory was with the Mountain Boys, but Allen feared that it wouldprove dearly bought, for the laws were so strict at that time, and allhis 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 ina bad way.
Save for the attendance upon the wounded, the farmers of Benningtonmight have thought the fight with and pursuit of the Yorkers only adream, 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 ofNew Hampshire, by the hands of his brother Ira, but save for sayingthat the account should be read carefully, the governor had taken nofurther notice.
Seth Warner had a cousin in Albany, and he induced him to send regularreports of the doings in New York, in so far as they effected the NewHampshire 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 waslooked for whenever any met the chosen messengers of the colonel.
Eben had proved himself very useful, but for several days he had beenaway, and Ethan was getting uneasy about him.
July had come, with all its heat and unpleasantness, and still Eben wasabsent.
That something had happened to him all believed, for he had never beenknown 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 residenceof Ethan Allen.
"Where have you been?" asked the colonel.
"Do not be cross with me. I have only been doing what I thought oughtto 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 crosswith me."
"I am never cross with you, Eben."
"Then you are to be sent for to Concord, and will be sent as a prisonerto Albany. Gov. Tryon says he will hang you as soon as you reach thatcity."
"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 y
ou do as we would like you would notgo."
"Why?"
"Because the governor will purchase peace for himself by having youhanged."
"Hush! there is some one even now at the door."
"Welcome, most worthy Talbot!" exclaimed Allen, when Assistant DistrictAttorney 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 hasbeen 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 ofcertain 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 itis necessary that you return with me to Concord, there to satisfy thecourt of your innocence."
Ethan looked at Eben, and the youth made a sign to convey that theinformation 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 duerespect to him and his authority, I will not go until I am ready, andthat if you attempt to arrest me I shall resist by force. I am a freeman, and by the grant signed by the governor I am free from arrestunless the local tribunal so orders, and you cannot get any justice inall the Green Mountains to order me into arrest. So go back and learnthat Ethan Allen can take care of himself."
"But that is treason."
"Call it what you like. I shall defend myself when the time comes, andwill 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 theright, and the governor is in the wrong, and I defy you and all thepower at your back."