the leaders of your holy cause, and he lured her into his house and
holds her as a hostage. Should the Provincials take possession of his
farm, he will kill the girl, so he says, and a man's word should be
believed, and therefore I did make a vow to rescue this maiden from the
grasp of the ungodly and restore her to her friends."

"Where did you say the farm was?"

"Tarry not, I beseech you, but travel to the east one mile and one
hundred yards, and you will come to a snake fence; cross the field and
you will see a house with a number of vines growing up its sides. Then
ask for Farmer Mervale, and you have the man who dares to imprison one
of the maidens the Lord loves."

Warner consulted with his friends, and they agreed that it would be
well to rescue the maiden.

"You will go with us?" asked Warner.

"Nay, my duty lies in another direction."

The monk started away in an opposite direction to that which he had
directed the army to take, and was soon lost to sight.

Then the men began to discuss his appearance and story.

"I do not believe him," said one.

"Yet he is a religious man, and therefore his word should be believed."

"He may be a spy."

"But why should he direct us to the farm?"

"The English may be in ambush."

"Then we must go, for, being forewarned we are forearmed, and shall
gain a victory."

This idea prevailed, and the Mountain Boys commenced their march to the
east.

When a mile had been traversed, as near as they could guess, Warner
sent a scout forward to reconnoiter.

He returned quickly and said that there was no sign of an ambush, but
the snake fence was there and the vine-covered house also.

"Go forward, Letsom, and find out all you can about the farmer and his
household."

The man was an excellent fellow for such a purpose, though Seth Warner
expressed a wish that Eben had been there, so that he might have gone.

Letsom returned an hour later.

"Farmer Mervale is a bitter Britisher," he reported, "and told me that
if any of the rebels came to his house he would know how to deal with
them. I asked him what he would do, and he replied that he would ask
them to dine and would poison their soup."

"The villain!"

"He further said that every rebel, as he called us, should be shot like
a rat."

"He is quite strong in his views."

"Yes, and one of his farm hands told me that a mad monk had been there,
and it would be a wonder if he were alive on the morrow."

"A m